This Year Might Just Be A Little Bit Different
by Morgana Maeve
Summary: A.U.Kagome’s in her last year of high school. InuYasha and Miroku are transfer students. It's fun and games until Kagome learns of her secret responsibilities. Will she be able to handle it? InuKag MirSan
1. New Beginnings

This Year Might Just Be A _Little _Bit Different

By: Yami 396

Hello everybody! I'm Yami 396 and I'm about present to you my first story. If it sucks, I'm really sorry and maybe you who flame can help me.

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other manga or songs or movies or whatever else I make references to in this story. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi or whoever else owns whatever else is in here that I didn't make up.

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'RRRRIIIIIIINNNNGGGG'

Kagome groaned and rolled over, tossing her alarm clock halfway across the room.

"_I really don't want to go to school today…"_ she thought. Kagome was in her last year of high school, and try as she might; she couldn't ignore the fact that she needed to choose a college soon. Now that it was the first day of school, Kagome couldn't put it off as she had during the summer.

"Kagome! Mom says you need to come downstairs if you don't want to be late!" Kagome's brother, Sota, yelled form downstairs.

"Mmmpff," was her answer back to him, as she rolled out of bed to get her uniform out of the closet. She stopped to look in the mirror. A seventeen year old, tall, black-haired, chocolate-eyed, pretty young lady stared back at her. Kagome almost didn't recognize herself. "_How am I supposed to choose a college if I don't even recognize my own reflection?" _She thought to herself as she got into her uniform.

"Sis, you really are going to be late if you don't stop staring at yourself and get your butt downstairs!" Sota yelled, shattering Kagome's thoughts. Kagome quickly grabbed him, put him in a headlock, and deposited him into the hallway, where she dropped him onto the floor. Five minutes later, she was dressed and ready to go, walking out the door in a complete daze.

"_This is my last year in high school. Soon I'll be leaving home and I'll have to support myself. I'll have to get a job and I'll have to find an apartment, or something…"_ Kagome thought as she crossed into the street. When she was halfway across the street, a flashy black corvette came tearing down the street, right for her. Kagome screamed and dove for the grass by the sidewalk, just missing getting hit by the car.

"Hey! Why don't you watch where you're going? Are you trying to run people over, you jerk!" Kagome yelled, shaking dirt off her uniform. Then, to her horror, the corvette turned around and came back. "_Oh, no, what have I done! I shouldn't have said anything. I should have just kept walking like nothing had happened. The police will find my body somewhere far away…"_ She thought to herself as the car stopped beside her and the front window on the driver's side rolled down.

"You were the one who wasn't paying attention, wench," the driver said. Kagome couldn't help but stare at him. The driver had long silver hair, gold eyes, and he was very handsome. But the one thing that caught Kagome's attention was the fact that he had dog-ears. She didn't even realize that she was staring at him until he asked, quite rudely, "What are you staring at, wench?" Only then did she realize he had called her a name.

"Did you just call me a wench?" Kagome said, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Yes, I called you a wench, you stupid girl," he said, not in the least bit fazed.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you that it's rude to call people names especially when you don't even know them?" Kagome countered, an expert of quick comebacks, since she always fought with her little brother.

"Oh, and this is coming form the girl who walks in the middle of the street, in her own little a world."

"I was in the crosswalk! You're supposed to stop for people!"

"Say's who?"

"It's called common sense and courtesy!"

"And I care because…"

"Because you should!"

"Why should I care? You dodged getting run over didn't y—mmpff!" He was suddenly cut off.

"I'm sorry, was my friend being rude to you? He's a bit unrefined, but he's harmless. He just doesn't know how to talk to lady like yourself," said the person who was sitting in the passenger seat. The young man leaned over to smile at Kagome, pushing the driver into the steering wheel. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, I'm fine," Kagome answered, surprised at his politeness. This one had black hair pulled into a small ponytail and blue eyes.

"Get off of me, you stupid lecher! You're just trying to set yourself up with another gir—mmpfff!" The silver haired one yelled, and was quickly rewarded with another push into the steering wheel.

"That temper of yours is going to get you in trouble one of these days, you know," the black haired one said, unmoving. "Would like a ride?" he asked Kagome. ""It's the least I can do for you, since my friend almost killed you."

Kagome thought about her options. If she didn't take the ride, she probably would be late for school. It she did take the ride, a number of things could happen to her. However, she would be on time if she took the risk.

"We're not going to hurt you. You're going to Tsuki High School too, right?" The black haired one said.

"How do you know I go to Tsuki?" Kagome asked.

"We're going there too. And I can tell from your uniform," He answered back. Kagome's thoughts were eased.

"Okay, I'll take you up on your offer," she said, as the black haired one opened up the back door for her. "Hey, what are your names? I'm Higurashi Kagome."

"I'm Houshi Miroku and this is Toka InuYasha," the haired one said.

"Nice to meet you Houshi-san, Toka-san."

"Please, call me Miroku-kun," Miroku said, looking back at her with a charming smile. "A pretty name for a pretty girl." He added.

"Okay, Miroku-kun," Kagome said, smiling back at him. She decided to ignore that last comment.

"Whatever. Just call me Toka," InuYasha said, backing into a small backstreet.

"Where are you going? The school's that way!" Kagome said suspiciously, pointing to the left. She didn't really trust him yet.

"I know the school's that way. I'm taking the back way. You don't want to be late, do you?" InuYasha said. _"This girl is so annoying! I can't stand her! Then why do I feel bad every time I yell at her… What the hell am I thinking! Jeez!" _he thought to himself. He abruptly revved up the engine and took off tearing down the street.

"_What is wrong with him! Does he want to kill all of us?" _Kagome thought frantically as InuYasha's car flew down the street at about 80 miles per hour. Miroku looked back at her and grinned apologetically.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to warn you. InuYasha likes to drive fast. That's why he likes to drive on the back streets. That was the first thing he did when we moved here; memorized all the back streets," Miroku said as the car bounced over a pothole. Kagome had to hold onto the door handle to keep from falling onto the floor.

"The last time I drove like this on a public street, the cops caught me and gave me ticket. That's when I decided to drive on the back streets," InuYasha said, smirking as he braked hard in front of the school. "Well, here we are. Now all of you get out of my car."

"Be nice InuYasha. You're addressing a lady," Miroku said, chiding InuYasha.

"I didn't know you were a lady," was the sarcastic remark back.

"I was not referring to me. I was referring to Kagome-san."

"Then you should have said so."

"Are you two really friends, are do you just give him a ride?" Kagome asked InuYasha, interrupting their bickering. They reminded her of the fights she and her brother had.

"We're friends. We just like to argue," Miroku answered, smiling. "It's quite fun to see him get riled up."

"Yeah, yeah, keep talking you lecher," InuYasha snapped, straightening his uniform. "Hey, Higurashi, make yourself useful and show us around. Miroku's terrible at directions. He gets lost in the mall. His date left him there one time."

"I'll show around, but only if you promise to stop being mean to me," Kagome said, trying to strike a deal with the stubborn young man.

"Feh," was the answer she got. Kagome took this to be a 'whatever.'

"Let me see if I can find one of my friends to help me. I'll be right back," she said, starting to leave. Miroku suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Kagome-san, before you go, there's something I need to ask you," he said, looking quite serious.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Would you consider bearing my children?"

"What?"

"Don't mind him," InuYasha said, pulling Miroku away form Kagome. "The idiot's famous for that. It's his pick up line. I think only one girl ever said yes."

"So violent…" Miroku said, pushing InuYasha off of him. "I was simply asking a question."

"Yeah, and in five minutes, you'll be asking another girl that same question. You never stop," InuYasha said back. "Now show us around Higurashi. I'm tired of waiting."

"Be nice or I won't show you around!" Kagome snapped, annoyed by his immaturity.

"Whatever," was the reply she received. Kagome sighed and showed them to the main entrance. "_It's going to be a long year ahead of me if I have to put up with these two the whole year,"_ she thought to herself. Because she was feeling slightly ill, and that she was once again in her own little world, she didn't realize that one of her best friends was waiting for her on the stairs until she heard her name being called out, "Kagome-chan!" _"Oh, it's Sango-chan. Maybe she can help me show these two around,"_ Kagome thought to herself.

"Kagome-chan! I haven't seen you all summer! How was your vacation? Did you have fun? Did Sota bother you the whole time like you said on the phone? Hey, who are they?" Sango finally noticed InuYasha and Miroku standing there, watching her. Tall and pretty with long brown hair and pink eye shadow accenting her eyes; she was easy prey for Miroku. Or so he thought.

"Kagome-san, who is your lovely friend?" Miroku asked her, stepping closer to Sango. InuYasha rolled his eyes and said, "Here we go again."

"Miroku-kun, Toka, this is my friend Kineme Sango. Sango-chan this is Houshi Miroku and Toka InuYasha," Kagome said, introducing them to each other. Miroku stepped forward and grabbed Sango's hands.

"Sango-chan, that is a beautiful name. It suits you well. I don't mean to be forward, but can I ask you to do me a favor?" he asked. Sango glared at him.

"And what exactly is this favor you want me to do for you?" she asked suspiciously, looking at his hands.

"Would you bear my children?" he asked.

"…" Was her reply.

"Ah, too overcome with emotion I see. It's okay, I don't mi—yee-ooow!" Miroku suddenly found himself in as very intimate meeting with the concrete. Sango had flipped him down the stairs. At the sight of Miroku kissing the floor and the look on InuYasha's face, Kagome burst into laughter.

"Oh, yeah! I forgot to warn you! Sango is a black belt in martial arts. And she doesn't like guys hanging over her either," Kagome said when she had regained some composure. "Maybe I should have warned Miroku-kun."

"No, that lecher had it coming. He deserved it," InuYasha said, taking a cell phone out of his pocket. "Hey lecher! Smile for the camera!" InuYasha quickly took a picture of Miroku lying on the floor. "This one I am definitely going to save!"

"Thanks for showing your concern, InuYasha. I'm fine in case anyone wants to know," Miroku said, gingerly picking himself off the floor.

"You can't say that you didn't deserve that. You deserved _all_ of it," InuYasha answered back. "So Kineme, you like martial arts?"

"During the Feudal Era, my family and friends were Demon Slayers. I guess that the battle spirit gets passed down throughout the generations. So do the techniques. I can already tell that you're a half-demon," Sango said.

So you can tell, huh?" InuYasha said glumly.

"That's a touchy subject for him. He doesn't like to talk that much about it," Miroku interjected. "He's half-brother is a full demon. They hate each other."

"Don't bring that bastard into this," InuYasha snapped.

"Anyway, how about I show you two to the office? The bell will ring soon, and you're going to have to find out what homeroom you're in," Kagome said, trying to sound cheerful to break the black mood that had descended over them. Miroku nodded, and Kagome proceeded to show them the office just as the bell rang. She and Sango ran to their homeroom to get good seats. Once there, Kagome's other friends, Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka grabbed her and dragged her to the back of the class.

"Kagome! Who were those two stunningly handsome guys you were with outside. Don't bother trying to deny it, I saw you plain as day out there. Tell me all about them! When did you meet them? Are they new here? What are their names?" Yuka immediately began to drown Kagome in questions. Kagome sighed. _"I should've known. Yuka loves to get the latest gossip on anyone. And since I just came to school with two guys no one knows, no wonder she's so curious!"_

"The one with the black hair is Houshi Miroku, and the one with the silver hair is Toka InuYasha. I met them this morning when Toka almost ran me over. Miroku-kun was nice enough to offer me a ride. Yes, they're new here," Kagome answered, all in one breath.

"Oh, wow Kagome! You sure are lucky!" Ayumi said, getting that starry-eyed look that meant she was thinking about a certain boy she had a crush on.

"I'm lucky that I almost got run-over?" Kagome asked, incredulously.

"Calm down, Ayumi's just thinking about Hojo-kun again. You know how she gets," Eri said, smiling. Kagome was about to answer back when the bell rang. The new homeroom teacher walked in. And from the looks of her, she didn't seem like the kind who took any kind of nonsense.

"All right! This is your last year here. It's time to shape up. You're all almost adults now. It's time you learn responsibility. You do something wrong, you pay the consequences. Got it? Yeah, you better get it. Anyway, I'm The Great Teacher Maiyuko. You can just call me Maiyuko-sensei," she said. Her entire speech left the class speechless. "All right, enough of my lecturing. We have two new students joining us today. Make them feel welcome," Maiyuko went out into the hallway and dragged InuYasha and Miroku into the classroom. Immediately all the girls started whispering to each other.

"Do you think he dyes his hair? I've never seen anyone with silver hair."

"Do you think he has a girlfriend?"

"Do you think he'll go out with me?"

"Why does it have to be my homeroom that gets the pervert?" Sango said, raising her eyes towards the heavens, asking for an answer. Kagome giggled and Sango glared at her.

"Why don't you tell us about yourselves since the class seems very interested in you two," Maiyuko said sarcastically. "Toka, you're up first."

"I'm Toka InuYasha. I'm seventeen and I just moved here. No, I do not dye my hair; it's naturally silver. And no, I do not have a girlfriend," he said. All the girls in the class blushed because they realized that he had heard everything they said. "Can I sit down now?" he asked Maiyuko.

"You can sit down when I tell you to sit down. Houshi, speak," was her answer to him. Miroku flashed his award-winning grin and sauntered up to the front of the class.

"Hello, I'm Houshi Miroku. I don't have a girlfriend either, but…I'm always open," he said, and all the girls giggled madly. Maiyuko hushed them and motioned for him to continue. "My family comes from a long line of monks, so if you want, I can perform exorcisms and I can also tell the girls how many children they'll have," he continued, while the girls blushed and giggled and the guys complained about how hard it was for them to get a girl to even look at them and how unfair it was that the new guy had all the girls in the palm of his hand. Maiyuko once again hushed the class.

"That's not necessary Houshi. Okay, now you may sit down Toka, but only where I tell you. Let's see…Toka, behind Higurashi, Houshi behind Kineme," Maiyuko said, motioning for them to sit down. Sango's mouth dropped open.

Maiyuko-sensei, you can't be serious! I don't want that pervert behind me. I don't trust him!" Sango said, hoping to get her or Miroku's seat changed. She had no such luck.

"Kineme, unless you want to argue about this in the office, I suggest that you keep your opinions to yourself and deal with it. Houshi's staying there and so are you. Got that?" Maiyuko said decisively.

"Yes Maiyuko-sensei," Sango muttered under her breath. To Miroku, she said, "You touch me and I'll hit you so hard, you won't know what just happened to you."

"Yes, Sango-chan, I understand. You're in denial," Miroku said, obviously not taking her threat seriously. Sango groaned and put her head on her desk.

"You see what I mean?" She said to Kagome in a whisper. "I'm really going to have to hurt him!"

Just don't do it in class," Kagome whispered back. "You'll get into trouble. Do it after school."

"Now, now, don't go conspiring about me behind my back," Miroku said, butting into their conversation. Sango gave him a look of disgust, turned around, and stared straight ahead. InuYasha, observing the whole scene from behind Kagome, laughed. Kagome turned around and smiled at him, causing him to blush. _"Why the hell am I blushing for! Just because she's smiling at me! This year's going to shape up real good," _he thought to himself. Meanwhile Kagome was thinking, _"Maybe this year isn't going to be that bad at all…"_

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Well people, what do you think? If it's crap, tell me nicely and I'll try to clean it up.


	2. The Classes From Hell

Chapter 2: The Classes From Hell

Yami 396

Hello people! Here's the second one. R&R!

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, it belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and I do not own the following mangas, as they belong to their respective authors: Fruits Basket, Fushigi Yugi, and Yu Yu Hakusho. I'm just borrowing the characters.

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Kagome looked at her schedule. She sighed when she saw that she had her geometry class first period. "_Great, I have my worst class first thing in the morning. I'll be half-asleep!"_ she thought in dismay. Sango poked her.

"Let me see your schedule. Maybe this year we'll have some classes together," Sango said grabbing the piece of paper. "Oh, cool! We have all the same classes at the same time!"

"Really, let me see! Yeah, you're right! Great, you can help me stay awake in geometry!" Kagome said, smiling at Sango.

"No way! You learn how to keep yourself awake!" Sango said in mock annoyance. Miroku looked over her shoulder.

"Ah, my dear Sango-chan! "It seems as if we too have the same schedule," he said, taking her shedule. Sango grabbed it back.

"Oh, no. It was too good to be true. Now I'm going to have to put up with that lecher the whole school year! Kagome-chan, just kill me now," Sango said in dismay, while Miroku leaned over to look at InuYasha's schedule. InuYasha leaned away, glaring at him.

"Only if you help me stay awake in geometry, Sango-chan," Kagome said, laughing. _"At least my last year here will be memorable,"_ she thought to herself.

"Yes! I finally got it!" Miroku yelled in triumph. He had finally gotten InuYasha's schedule and was reading it with all of his attention. Kagome had to laugh at the fake look of concentration he had on his face. Both InuYasha and Sango glared at her.

"Well, I have some good news and some bad news," Miroku said. Sango rolled her eyes.

"Oh, do tell! I can't bear the suspense!" she said sarcastically. Miroku started talking again.

"The bad news is, I accidentally tore InuYasha's schedule. The good news is, we all have the same classes together!" he exclaimed, throwing both arms into the air. Sango started to bang her head on her desk.

"I'm not going to be able to learn anything this year! Not with that pervert and his friend running loose in all of my classes!" she moaned. InuYasha glared at her.

"Just so you know, I get pretty good grades. And don't compare me to that lecher," he said, trying to looked morally insulted. Kagome shook her head, trying not to laugh. Then Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi came running over to her desk.

"Let me see your schedule! Oh, man! I only have one class with you! Hey! Do you have any classes with them?" Yuka asked.

"Yep," Kagome answered.

"How many?"

"All of them."

"What!" Yuka yelled, shocked. "You are so lucky! Introduce one of them to me, okay."

"Whatever," Kagome said, laughing. _"By the end of the day, nearly all the girls in this school will want to be introduced to them,"_ she thought. Just then the bell rang. A tidal wave of students left their homeroom, yelling to each other questions on where their classes were. Kagome and Sango hurried down the hallway, trying to find their geometry class. Miroku and InuYasha trailed behind.

"Hey! Wait up!" Miroku yelled, as he caught Sango's arm. "For a girl, you run fast!"

"Let go of me you pervert before I send you flying into a locker!" Sango snapped. "I don't need to be late because of you!"

"Calm down Sango-chan! The classroom's right here," Kagome said, pointing to one of the rooms.

"Anytime you want to send him flying, do it," InuYasha told Sango. "It's not as if he doesn't deserve it."

"You are such a true friend, InuYasha," Miroku said. "Next time you need help, see what your answer will be."

"Feh, just get into class, you lecher," was the response back. Sango mumbled something about a horrible year under her breath and stalked into the classroom. Kagome and the others followed in behind her. The classroom was fairly dark and it was hard to see what seats were empty. They found four seats in the back that were open and took them. Sango leaned over to Kagome and said, "Why is it so dark in here? Don't you need light to do math?"

"I have no clue. Who's the teacher?" Kagome answered back.

"I don't know. I can't read the schedule," Sango said, trying to get used to the darkness.

"Sohma-sensei," InuYasha said.

"Huh?" Sango said.

"That's the teacher. Sohma-sensei. Sohma Ayame," he said, rolling his eyes at their stupidity.

"You can read your schedule?" Kagome asked, trying to find him, but she was looking in the wrong direction.

"I'm over here idiot! And yes, I can read the schedule because I'm a demon. I have good night vision." The bell rang and Ayame came waltzing into the class dramatically.

"Hello, wonderful class of first period. I'm sure you'll all love as did last year's class. Why is it so dark in here? Someone get the lights so you can all see your glorious teacher, Sohma Ayame!" he said. Hojo, the class push over ran up to get the lights. "That's a good boy! Now all of you turn your gazes upon me!"

InuYasha looked as if he was about to die from suffocation, as he was trying not to laugh. Sango had a look of horror, shock, and disgust on her face. Miroku was bent over, silently laughing, and Kagome had no clue what to do with herself. Ayame did not look like a teacher. With his long silver hair and greenish-goldish eyes, he looked more like an idiot, than anything else.

"Little brother! Do you like it that your wonderful older brother is your teacher? Of course you do! Now we can work on strengthening our brotherly bonds!" Ayame yelled to someone in the middle of the classroom. "Now don't be shy, Yuki! Stand up and show yourself!" Ayame waltzed down the aisle and dragged the poor boy up onto his feet. "This is my little brother, Yuki! Can't you see he's to overcome with emotion to say anything?" Yuki looked like he was ready to kill Ayame.

"If I was him, I'd want to kill myself," Miroku said, trying to overcome his laughter.

"I think he wants to kill his brother. That must be awful, having your brother for a teacher," Sango said, with a look of pity. Unfortunately, Ayame heard her.

"You there! In the back! What is you name?" he yelled, dropping Yuki's arm. He saw his chance and retreated back to his seat. Sango turned red and stood up.

"Kineme, Sohma-sensei. Kineme Sango," she said, upset that she had already gotten into trouble on the first day.

"Well, Kineme, here's your punishment for speaking out of turn. Tomorrow you will just have to teach the class what you know about geometry while have some binding time with my brother," he said, dramatically pointing a finger at her. Yuki started to bang his head on his desk.

"He's just too much…" Yuki mumbled. Meanwhile, Sango looked stunned.

"Yes, yes, I know it seems like such a dire punishment, but it's only for one day. You may sit down, while I call attendance. Sango sat down, shaking her head and looking shocked.

"There is something wrong with him," she said, still looking completely confused. Kagome started to laugh.

"I'm sorry, Sango-chan," Kagome said when Sango glared at her. "But the look on your face is priceless."

"I don't want to teach the class!" Sango said. "I don't know that much about geometry!"

"Ssshh," Miroku hushed her. "You'll just make it worse. He probably doesn't know anything about geometry either. Just go up and talk. Now all of you be quiet so we don't get into anymore trouble." At this time, Ayame started the attendance.

"Anyone who is not here say 'Not here,'" he said. InuYasha stared at him in disbelief. "_"Is this guy playing, or is he really that much if an idiot?"_ InuYasha thought to himself.

"Anyway, I want you all to go around the class and introduce yourselves. Then I will tell you a little about myself," Ayame proclaimed. "Now begin!" A girl with red hair pulled into pigtails stood up.

"I'm Seake Ayame, and I have a question for you, Sohma-sensei." She said.

"How is it that you came to share the wonderful name of Ayame with your wonderful teacher perhaps?" Ayame asked.

"Um, no," the red-haired Ayame said. "I wanted to know why there are three teachers named Sohma here. Are you all related?"

"Ah yes. I was wondering when someone was going to ask that," Ayame said. "Well, you see, the three of us make up the Mabudachi Trio. Hari, Gure-san, and I are all friends and cousins, and when Hari took a job here, we couldn't let him have all the fun, so we followed him." The red-haired Ayame nodded slowly and sat back down, rolling her eyes at her friends. The rest of attendance went fairly smoothly until Ayame made InuYasha introduce himself.

"I'm Toka InuYasha," he said sitting back down. Ayame looked at him.

"Are you by any chance related to-" Ayame was cut off.

"No!" InuYasha snapped. Kagome looked at him in surprise. Ayame put on a shocked face

"How rude! You didn't even let me finish! Well, I suppose you'll just have to help Kineme teach the class tomorrow," he said, trying to sound infuriated. InuYasha rolled his yes and said, "Feh." Ayame finally finished attendance.

"Now as I promised I will tell all of you about myself. I was the student council president in high school…" Ayame just went on and on and on until the bell rang. "Don't forget tomorrow, Kineme and Toka! If you finish early, I'll tell the class about how I saved the future of a few boys on a class trip!"

"You will do no such thing!" Yuki grabbed him and started yelling at him as InuYasha and the gang left the class.

"After that, I think I can handle anything," Kagome said, rubbing her head with her hands. "What class is next?"

"Gym. And guess what? Another Sohma teacher," Sango answered. "Do you think this one will be as bad as the last one? He did say they were all related…"

"If he is, then I'll know what classes to skip off of," InuYasha said. "Where's the gym, Higurashi?"

"All the way down the there. Hey, why did you cut of Sohma-sensei when he asked if you were related to someone? You didn't even give him a chance to say it?" Kagome asked InuYasha. Miroku answered her.

"InuYasha doesn't like to admit he's related to one of the teachers here," he said, earning himself a glare form InuYasha.

"It's none of you business, so don't ask," InuYasha ended the conversation. Miroku shook his head and said to Kagome, "You'll find out about it by the end of the day. Just wait and see." They entered the gym and took seats on the bleachers just as the bell rang. The teacher had black hair that partially covered his left eye. He didn't seem flamboyant as Ayame had.

"All right class. Settle down. I have a question for all of you. How many of you had Ayame last period?" he asked. A few people including InuYasha, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku raised their hands. "I was afraid of that. Anything he tells you, don't believe it. Don't pay any attention to him. As long as you listen to his stories and give him compliments, you'll pass. Now, you can find gym uniforms in the office, and you can pay for them tomorrow. I'm Sohma Hatori, and I'm the boy's gym teacher. Girls, your teacher should be coming back soon," Hatori said. Sango and Kagome looked at each other.

"He doesn't seem that bad. I wonder what our teacher will be like," Kagome said to Sango. As if in answer to her question, their teacher came running in.

"You do realize that you're late, don't you, Shigure?" Hatori said to him.

"I'm sorry Hari. It's not like I wanted to miss seeing all the pretty high school girls. I got caught up in the hallways," Shigure said to him. He turned and smiled at his half of the class. "Hello, I'm Sohma Shigure, and I'll be your teacher for the year. Now hurry up and get your uniforms," he said, showing the girls where to find their uniforms. He walked away singing, "High school girls, high school girls, all for me, high school girls…"

"What is wrong with the school this year!" Sango yelled as soon as he was out of earshot. "I thought Tsuki High was supposed to be one of the best. So far, all I've seen are idiots and perverts!"

"Calm down Sango-chan!" Kagome said, worried that Sango might explode from all her anger. "It could be worse, I guess. We'll just get extra-long shirts, that's all." Sango still looked ready to kill someone. Ten minutes later, they heard Shigure calling them, "Oh, pretty high school girls. It's time to come out!"

"There is definitely something wrong with this school," Sango muttered. The boys, meanwhile, were being asked questions about their physical health.

"Do you play any sports?" Hatori asked InuYasha.

"I took karate last year," he answered.

"That's good. You should take it again this year," Hatori continued in monotone. Shigure ushered the girls to the other side of the gym.

"Well, can any of you play sports?" he asked, smiling at them. Sango glared at him. When no one answered him, he said, "Okay, just run a few laps around this part of the gym." They all started to run. Halfway through the second lap, one of them tripped and fell on top of Shigure. There was a loud explosion that caused everyone to look up in alarm. Hatori sighed.

"Now he's done it," he said.

"So-Sohma-sensei, where did you go?" the girl who fell on him said after the smoke cleared. "I'm sorry, are you…He turned into a dog!" she yelled. Hatori pushed his way into the crowd.

"Shigure, get in my office right now before you change back," he said, as if this happened everyday.

"What the hell is going on here!" InuYasha yelled from behind Kagome, making her jump. "Why the hell did he turn into a dog?"

"I don't know," Kagome said, confused. The girl who fell on him started to apologize profusely.

"I am so sorry! I didn't think you would change into a dog! I am really sorry!" she said, bowing with each word she said.

"Never mind. You don't need to apologize," Hatori said, trying to calm her down. "Shigure, get in my office, now!" He said to Shigure.

"Too late, Hatori!" Shigure said as he changed back into a completely again. Unfortunately for the girls, he was completely naked. "Whoops, guess I should have gone into the office like you said…"

"Aiiieeeeeee!" All the girls screamed and ran into the locker room. Kagome put her head in her hands as Sango started hit her head on the locker.

"What did I do to deserve this? Tell me what I did!" she yelled. Kagome had no answer for her this time because Kagome was beginning to wonder if everyone's last year in high school was this hectic. Hatori called form the doorway.

"It would probably be best if you girls got dressed and stayed in here for the remaining time," he said, clearly annoyed.

"Don't worry, I don't think any of us want to go back out there," Sango said once he had left. She, Kagome, and the rest of the girls talked until the end of the period. After the bell rang, InuYasha and Miroku caught up with the two girls.

"That was…interesting…" InuYasha said, trying to find the right words to describe gym class.

"It was kind of funny though," Miroku said, earning a glare from Sango.

"It was not funny! It was sick and wrong," she said. "I hope that this is all a bad dream and that when I wake up, I'll find out that all my teachers are not perverts."

"Don't count on it," Kagome said. "This year's going to be crazy. What horrors are next?" she asked.

"Science," InuYasha answered.

"Don't tell me that teacher's a Sohma too," Sango said.

"No, this one's name is Minamino," Miroku said, looking at his schedule.

"Pray that he's not a pervert," Sango said, looking sick. "If we have one more weird teacher, I don't think I'll be able to make it through the rest of the day." They finally found their class. They once again found four seats in the back, and waited for the teacher, each on silently praying for one normal class. Eri also happened to be in this class.

"Kagome, how was your day so far?" she asked.

"Horrible, have you had gym yet?" Kagome asked her.

"Next period."

"Watch out for the girl's teacher."

"Why?"

"You'll see," Kagome said, giving her fair warning. The bell rang and the teacher walked in. All the girls started talking at once.

"Hey, he's cute!"

"Finally, a normal one!"

"He can't be that old…"

"He looks okay…" Sango said, looking at the teacher. He had long red hair with green eyes, and he was also very handsome.

""Let's see how this class goes," Kagome said. Forty minutes later, the bell rang and they were able to leave.

"I think that was the first normal class we've had all day, so far," Miroku said, after class.

"Yeah, lucky you. You didn't have chemicals blow up in your face," InuYasha yelled, trying to clean his face with an extra shirt.

"That's your own fault!" Kagome said back. "I told you not to add the whole bottle. What do you go and do? You put the whole bottle in there."

"I didn't know it was going to blow up! And you were the one who said look at it because it was making 'weird noises.' It was partly your fault!"

"You still shouldn't have put the whole bottle in there!"

"Feh!"

"Now, now, stop fighting. It's okay, "Miroku said, laughing. "It doesn't matter who's fault it was. All that matters was the look on InuYasha's face when it exploded!" he started laughing harder.

"Shut up lecher!" InuYasha said warningly. "What's next?"

"Lunch," said Sango.

"Great, my favorite subject!" InuYasha said, laughing. Kagome and everybody else laughed along with him. When they arrived at the cafeteria, Miroku and InuYasha were mobbed by crazy fan girls who wanted them to sit next to them.

"Ladies, ladies, there's enough of me to go around. I'll sit with you tomorrow," Miroku said, trying to get away from one of them without ripping his shirt. InuYasha gave the famous 'Feh' comment and walked over to where Kagome, Sango, and Ayame (the red-haired one) were.

"He is such a play boy!" Sango snapped, glaring at her sandwich. Ayame smiled at her.

"I think someone's jealous," she teased Sango. Sango looked up at her in surprise.

"I am not!" she yelled, turning red.

"Then why are you blushing?"

"…" Was Sango's reply back.

"Don't be jealous, Sango-chan. You're the only girl I'm looking at," Miroku said, from behind her. "I have no interest in those other girls." He put a hand on he shoulder and sat down next to her. Sango turned a deeper shade of red. That was until Miroku's hand decided travel south. Immediately, Sango's face changed and she jumped up.

"Pervert!" she screamed and poured her water over his head. "I'm going to the library!" she yelled, and stomped off.

"What was that all about?" Kagome asked. She had never seen her friend act like that.

"Miroku groped her," InuYasha said, never even looking up from his ramen.

"You act like that's natural," Kagome said.

"It is," he answered.

"Does anybody care about me? I am dripping wet," Miroku said, trying to dry his uniform.

"I keep repeating myself, but you really did deserve that," InuYasha said. "You might want to find a towel."

"And where do you suggest I look?"

"In the gym."

"No one likes a smart-ass, you know."

"Well, I guess that's too bad for me, now isn't it?" InuYasha said sarcastically, finishing off his ramen just as the bell rang. Their next few classes passed by quickly enough with normal teachers, until their last class, which was history. Then InuYasha began to act strangely.

"What's the matter?" Kagome asked him, as they were moving to period twelve. "You seem kind of out of it."

"He just doesn't want to go to history, that's all," Miroku said.

"You don't like history?" Kagome asked InuYasha.

"He doesn't like the teacher," Miroku answered.

"Feh, I could care less about the bastard," InuYasha responded back.

"Why don't you like the teacher?" Sango asked, looking at her schedule. "Hey! There's a 'Toka' here!"

"Does one of your relatives teach here?" Kagome looked at InuYasha.

"Feh!"

"His brother teaches here. That's why he had to transfer," Miroku said.

"He's my half-brother, idiot!" InuYasha snapped.

"They don't like each other, as you can see," Miroku pointed out the obvious.

"Why don't you like each other?" Sango asked.

"It's because InuYasha's a half-demon. His brother is a full demon," Miroku answered, moving away from InuYasha, who looked ready to kill him. They walked into the class. Only a few seats were left, so the group had to split up with Miroku and Sango in the front and InuYasha and Kagome in the middle. Their teacher strode in as soon as the bell rang. Again, all the girls in the class broke into whispers.

"I love this year! Most of the teachers are so hot!"

"I think he's one of the hottest!"

"Be quiet," the teacher said decisively. The whole class shut up.

"I'm your teacher for the year. As long as you do your homework and pass my tests you'll do fine," he said, pushing his long, silver hair back. The girls whispered even more. "I thought I told you to be quiet," he said, looking back at them. They blushed and shut up again. "I'm Toka Sesshoumaru." The whole class looked at InuYasha, who was trying to sink into his seat.

"They're related?" Yuka whispered to Kagome.

"I guess," Kagome answered. _"Poor Toka, he must be hating this. And the girls are never going to leave him alone…"_ she thought to herself. She looked up at the front of the class and saw Miroku laughing silently, again. She also saw Sango hit him hard over the head. History class also passed without too many problems, except for the fact that InuYasha fell out of his seat from sinking too low, and was given detention for the next day. Luckily, the bell rang before InuYasha made it worse. As soon as he was out in the hallway, all the girls in the class surrounded him.

"You never told us that your brother was teaching here!" one of them said to him.

"He's my half-brother ad you never asked," InuYasha grumbled trying to push past them. Another girl called out to him, "Can you introduce me to him?" InuYasha looked at her as if she was crazy.

"No," he said, managing to push past the girls and out of the school. Kagome caught up with him a few minutes later. "Where's your friend?" he asked her.

"Sango-chan is staying after school for karate lessons with Kishuku Tamahome, and Miroku-kun told me to tell you that he would be staying with her," she answered. InuYasha rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Do you want a ride to your house? Just tell me where it is," he asked her. Kagome was shocked. _"Is he feeling okay?"_ she thought to herself.

"Higurashi, hurry up! If you can't decide, I'll just leave you here!" he yelled to her from where his car was parked. Kagome shook her head, smiled, and ran down to where he was to accept the ride.

………………………………………………………………………

Whew! That was long. And when I introduced Sesshoumaru in here, I had a paranoia attack. I was thinking, "What if they don't like him! What if they think it was lame? OMG, OMG, OMG!" Yep, that's me. Completely out of my mind. Enjoy and R&R!


	3. Growing Relations and Badminton Accident...

Chapter 3: Growing Relations and Badminton Accidents

Yami 396

Wow…Chapter 3…I feel so…special and stupid at the same time. I want to thank you all for reviewing so nicely. You don't know how much it means to me!

InuYasha: You're an idiot. It's only been three chapters.

Yami 396: Be quiet! No one asked your opinion! I can easily give you a real crappy part in this story. The readers won't like it, so I won't do it…but I can make you go through the worst fluff scene that I have ever written, so be careful!

InuYasha: I would love to see you try.

Yami 396: Damn you.

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha; it belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I also don't own any other mangas or songs that I mention in this chapter.

………………………………………………………………………

Sitting in the passenger seat of InuYasha's car, Kagome felt a little out of place and there was a strange fluttering feeling in her stomach. InuYasha glanced over at her.

"Hey, what's the matter with you? Usually you're yapping about something or other, but now you're staring off into space," he said, ignoring the road for a few minutes.

"Keep your eyes on the road. I don't feel so good. I don't need your horrible driving to make me feel worse," Kagome said, leaning against the door.

"Hey! Hey! Don't throw up in the car! I just had it cleaned!" he yelled, revving the motor.

"If you don't want me to throw up, then why are you going faster?" she moaned, opening the window. InuYasha smirked.

"Hey, it's making you talk to me, isn't it?" InuYasha said, without thinking. At the moment he realized he said that, he could have swallowed his tongue. _"Why the hell did I say something like that for! I just met her! This wench really screws me up!" _he thought to himself, shaking his head.

"Turn! Turn here!" Kagome yelled as InuYasha sped past the turn for the Higurashi Shrine. He quickly turned right, causing the car to skid several feet into the next lane and Kagome to fall onto his shoulder. They both blushed, and looked away. Kagome was the first to speak.

"I-I-If you didn't drive so fast, you wouldn't have nearly gotten us all killed!" she yelled, her face a beet red.

"Well excuse me! If you were paying attention to the road, then I wouldn't have had to turn so hard!" he yelled, equally if not redder than Kagome, because he wasn't at all used to girls falling on him.

"You're the one who's driving!" Kagome yelled back at him.

"I don't know where you live! You're supposed to tell me that!"

"You should drive slower!"

"I'll drive the way I want to!"

"Your driving is dangerous!"

"Don't start with me!" InuYasha yelled. At this time, his cell phone rang, loudly, causing Kagome to jump in her seat, and InuYasha to slam down on the brakes, cursing loudly. "What do you want you damn lecher!" he yelled into the phone. Kagome could almost see Miroku holding the phone away from his ear.

"InuYasha! Don't yell into the phone like that! Do you realize that your voice is louder over the phone?" Miroku yelled back. "I just wanted to know if you could pick up Sango-chan and I?"

"No! I'm already giving someone else a ride!" InuYasha said, rolling his eyes. To Kagome, he whispered, "He's never going to let me live this down, so don't you say a word." She nodded yes.

"Whom are you giving a ride to? A girl maybe?" Miroku said slyly. "Kagome-san perhaps?"

"Wh-what makes you think that?" InuYasha asked, tried to keep his cool. He was failing miserably.

"The fact that your stuttering and the fact that one of Kagome-san's friend came running in yelling about how Kagome-san was so lucky to be able to get a ride from one of the new, I jest here on your case, 'hotties' in the school," Miroku said, sounding like he was trying not to laugh. InuYasha glared at the phone.

"I'm going to ignore that last comment, lecher. And what's it to you if I am giving her a ride?" InuYasha snapped. Miroku gave a triumphant laugh.

"So you are giving her a ride home, InuYasha, you naughty boy, you," Miroku teased. "No one came running yelling anything. I knew you wouldn't tell me straight out, so I thought a few white lies wouldn't hurt anyone. Don't to anything I wouldn't do!"

"When I see you next, I'm going to kill you," InuYasha snarled into the phone. Miroku only laughed and hung up.

………………………………………………………………………

"Oh, he's so fun to tease!" Miroku said to Sango, after he had hung up.

"He's really driving her home?" Sango asked, her eyebrows raised. "I don't know whether or not to be worried. I can't tell if he's like you."

"Sango-chan, you flatter me. Don't be worried. InuYasha may be rude, but he's not going to do anything to her. Now, do you want me to walk you home?" Miroku asked, smiling at her.

"Now I'm worried," she said in answer. "I'll just call my father."

"Please, Sango-chan!" Miroku begged. "I'll feel so much more better if I knew you where to arrive safely.

Sango was a bit shocked at his pleading. Though she knew that he was a bit of a player, she couldn't help feeling happy that a boy was trying to get her attention. Because she took karate, and she was willing to beat up any boy that laid hands on her, she had been dubbed dangerous and usually no boys would go any where near her. She felt special, and she didn't know what to do about it. "All right, you can walk me home, but only if you promise not to try anything funny!" she said, pointing a finger at his face. Miroku threw up his hands.

"Just say the words, and I won't do anything to you that you don't want me to," he said, looking serious. Sango glared at him, and gave in.

………………………………………………………………………

"I really hate that lecher. I don't know why I let him take a ride!" InuYasha groused, as he finally drove up to the shrine. Thanks to Miroku's teasing, InuYasha had mixed up his right and left when Kagome told him right, and they had gotten lost.

"If you hate him that much, then don't bother with him," Kagome said, knowing full well that InuYasha was only embarrassed by what Miroku had said.

"Feh! Okay, we're here. Now get lost," InuYasha said, unlocking the door.

"Can you be any more rude?" Kagome asked, jokingly. She was shocked when InuYasha got out of the car and opened her door for her.

"Well, are you going to sit there, gawking or are you going to get out of my car?" InuYasha, snapped, his face tinted red. Kagome flushed and climbed out. That is, she tried to climb out, but she tripped over her feet, and crashed into InuYasha. Being a half-demon, InuYasha easily caught her, holding her to support her weight. They stayed like that for a few seconds before jumping apart. Kagome looked away and InuYasha cleared his throat.

"Uh, well your home now. Um, I'll see you tomorrow at school. Bye," he said, all in one breath before jumping back into his car and tearing down the street. Kagome just stared into space for a few minutes before running up the hundreds of stairs that led to the shrine. About halfway up, she found Sota lurking there with a gig grin on his face. Kagome didn't like the looks of that smile.

"Hey Kagome! Who was that guy you were hugging?" Sota asked, smiling evilly at her. "Was that your new boyfriend?"

"Sota, I will give you a five second head start before I chase you to your death," Kagome said between clenched teeth. Sota took off running.

"Mom, Grandpa! Kagome has a boyfriend! She was hugging him just now outside!" Sota yelled, running into the house.

"I was not!" Kagome yelled, running in a few seconds after him.

"No boyfriends!" her Grandpa yelled from the living room. Her mother just smiled.

"So Kagome, how was your first day of school?" her mother asked her. Kagome took a few minutes to say a prayer of thanks that her mother never asked that many questions and usually let her do what she wanted within reason.

"It was okay. I've got a lot of homework, so I should go get started on it," Kagome said, heading up the stairs.

"Of course, dear," her mother called to her. "If you need help, just ask me."

"No boyfriends!" her grandfather yelled again from the living room.

"Yes, Grandpa," Kagome said, rolling her eyes. _"I guess he's the one who makes up for Mom's lack of rules," _she thought to herself. Once in her room, she tried to concentrate on her homework, but the scene with InuYasha kept replaying in her head. She got up from her desk and dramatically flopped down onto her bed. "Why am I getting so worked up about? It was just an accident! It wasn't as if he was actually hugging me! He just caught me!" she asked herself out loud, not expecting an answer.

"You fell into the arms of love!" Sota said from inside her doorway, laughing. Kagome jumped up and slammed her door shut.

"Stay out of my room, you pest!" she yelled. "Can't a girl have any privacy?"

"When you're talking to yourself out loud, anybody can hear you," Sota reminded her from outside her door. Kagome locked the door, and swore to herself never to say anything out loud again if her little brother was around. Once again, she tried to concentrate on her homework, but she just didn't feel like doing it at the moment.

………………………………………………………………………

Meanwhile, Sango and Miroku were having similar problems as InuYasha and Kagome were having. Sango made Miroku stay a few feet in front of her, so she could watch him.

"Now, Sango-chan, which way was is your house again?" Miroku asked her, sheepishly rubbing his head. Sango sighed. _"This guy can't tell north from south. No wonder Kagome-chan wanted help showing them around."_

"Left here. No, that's right. Your other left," Sango said, steering Miroku the right way. He grinned.

"When I was still in grade school, they never taught me left from right properly," he said. Sango tried not to laugh.

"That's no excuse! If you you're as smart as you say you are, then you should have no problems telling your left from your right," she said.

"It's not about smarts. It's about having common sense."

"Then you must not have any."

"How true!" Miroku said. Sango couldn't control herself anymore. She started laughing so hard, her sides started to hurt. Miroku looked at her.

"Why, Sango-chan! I do believe that this is the first time you've laughed in my presence. I don't know whether or not to feel happy or worried!" he said, joining in on the laughter.

"Why would you be worried?" Sango asked him, once she was done.

"I wouldn't know if you were sick or not," Miroku said, smiling at her. Sango flushed. _"Ah! Why am I blushing! It's not like I like him or anything! I've got to stop blushing!" _she thought to herself. Unfortunately, Miroku decided to ruin the moment with a grope. Sango immediately turned a deeper red, but for a completely different reason.

"You pervert! You don't know when to stop do you!" she yelled.

"It's not me! It's the hand!" Miroku whined, a bright red mark in the shape of Sango's hand showing up on his face. "My hand is possessed! It does it on its own!"

"The only thing that's possessed is your mind, you lecher!" Sango snapped back.

"Please, my family comes down from a long line of monks. Therefore, that technically makes me one," Miroku said. Sango rolled her eyes.

"Some monk you are! Just leave me here. I'll walk the rest of the way by myself," Sango said. "And don't even think about following me!" Miroku only laughed and walked away. Sango felt slightly alone walking by herself, and she was still unsure about her feelings.

………………………………………………………………………

Kagome had to wake up early the next day because she was too lazy to finish her homework the day before. She stared at her science homework. _"I don't understand a word of this! Maybe I should have paid more attention during class! I'll just call Sango," _she thought to herself. Kagome knew that Sango was an early riser and therefore, would be an excellent help. She snuck downstairs to the phone. Sango answered on the third ring.

"Hello?" Sango asked, a bit of sleepiness hinted through her voice.

"Hi, Sango-chan! I didn't wake you up, did I?" Kagome asked, worried.

"Oh, it's you Kagome-chan. No, I was already awake; I'm just a little sleepy. Remember, I do have to teach the geometry class today," Sango said, a hint of irritation in her voice. Kagome giggled. "Hey! It's not funny! You know I don't like talking in front of people!"

"I'm sorry, Sango-chan. Anyway, I called to ask you for help on my science homework. I don't get it."

"But it's so easy, Kagome-chan!"

"Please Sango-chan! You're smart!" Kagome begged. Sango sighed and helped her. It took only a little while, and soon, Kagome was back in bed, getting her much needed sleep. Later, Sota woke her up again by yelling at her.

"Sis! You need to learn how to wake up to your alarm clock! You'll be late again!" he yelled, dodging pillows and the alarm clock.

All right! All right! I'm up! I'm almost ready!" she yelled, pulling her shirt and skirt on. In five minutes flat, she was running out the door.

"Wait, Kagome!" her grandfather yelled after her. "You forgot your lunch!"

"Thanks Grandpa! I owe you one!" Kagome yelled, running back to grab her lunch.

"Remember: No boyfriends!" he said to her retreating back.

"Yes Grandfather!" Kagome yelled, the order going in one ear and out the other. Strangely enough, as she was running, a very familiar looking car pulled up alongside her.

"Hey Higurashi! Do you like to run to school, or are you late again?" the rude voice of InuYasha reached her ears.

"Hello Toka. For your information, I'm not usually in such a rush," she said, stopping to take a breath.

"Do you want another ride?" he asked suddenly. Kagome stared at him. "What?" he snapped.

"Nothing. Yeah, sure! I'd like another ride," Kagome said, trying to fight the rising blush in her cheeks.

"Awww, isn't that sweet?" Miroku said form the front. "And here I was thinking InuYasha didn't like you."

"Shut up," InuYasha grumbled, his face turning slightly red.

"So, Miroku-kun. How was your walk home with Sango-chan?" Kagome asked, trying to divert the subject.

"Going was wonderful. Coming back was horrible," he said, looking out the window.

"Why?" Kagome asked him.

"I got lost…" he answered.

"I found him wandering around back at the school, trying to figure out how he got there and how to get back home," InuYasha said, trying to drive a bit slower for Kagome's sake. "Idiot."

"It's not my fault that I lack common sense, as Sango-chan pointed out yesterday," Miroku said, trying to sound upset. "Most geniuses lack common sense. That's why we're so misunderstood."

"You are definitely not a genius," InuYasha said. "If you're a genius then why did you fail your driving test three times? It was so easy."

"I failed it three times because I kept getting lost!" Miroku tried to explain.

"Yeah, every time they said turn right you turned left. Trust me, I remember. I was stuck in the car with you," InuYasha answered back, grimacing.

"Hey, Toka! Did you remember to look over the chapter in our geometry book?" Kagome said, once again trying to change the topic.

"I was supposed to do that today?" InuYasha asked her, turning around to see if she was serious.

"Eyes on the road! Eyes on the road! And, yes! You were supposed to help Sango-chan today," Kagome said.

"Damn it! I'll have to look at it in homeroom!" he cursed loudly.

"Language, InuYasha. You need to expand you vocabulary," Miroku said.

"Shut up," InuYasha snapped. "You shouldn't talk. Always grouping women."

"That doesn't have anything to do with your language problem," Miroku pointed out.

"Be quiet or I'll hurt you," InuYasha growled as they pulled up in front of the school. Sango greeted them.

"InuYasha, do you know what your going to do today in geometry?" she asked him. He shrugged.

"Don't bother, Sango-chan. He didn't even remember until I reminded him this morning," Kagome said. Sango turned red.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Sango yelled at InuYasha.

"Don't worry about geometry class," a voice from behind answered. "My brother forgot about it. The whole morning, I had to listen to him go on about the speech he's going to make today." It was Yuki.

"Hey, aren't you Yuki?" Kagome asked. "You're his brother, right?"

"Don't remind me," he said. "I' just thought I'd tell you so you two didn't panic."

"Thank you," Sango said to him. After he left she said, "Boy, am I glad! All we have to do is not remind him and just listen to his speech!"

"I wonder what he'll talk about today," Miroku said.

"Knowing that idiot after a day, I'd say nothing important," InuYasha answered.

"Don't forget InuYasha, you have detention today," Miroku reminded him.

"How could I forget that? I got reminded all last night from that bastard," InuYasha snapped.

"I was just reminding you. No need to get all worked up over nothing," Miroku said. "Really, your temper is out of control. Have you tried anger management yet?"

"Keep talking and see what happens to you," was the threat he received as the bell rang. They all filed into homeroom.

"Settle down. I need to do attendance. Then you can run around and do whatever you want. Just don't kill each other," Mayoku said, looking at her attendance sheet. "Okay, it seems like you're all here. Enjoy fifteen minutes of peace."

"Why can't we have her as a teacher?" Sango asked. "She would be so much more better than some of our other teachers." Kagome knew she was referring to Ayame and Shigure.

"It's okay Sango-chan. The year may be shape up to be better later," Kagome said, trying to calm her friend.

"Miroku, what are you doing?" InuYasha asked.

"I'm telling fortunes to these lovely young ladies," Miroku answered. A line of most of the female population of the class had formed in front of Miroku's desk, and he was reading their palms to tell them their fortunes. "Ah, I can see that you will have many children. Would you like to test that out?" The girl blushed and giggled. Another one ran up.

"But Houshi-kun! You said the same thing to me!" she said.

"Yes, I did. There's enough of me for both of you," was the answer. Both girls giggled. InuYasha shook his head and checked his e-mail on his phone. Sango glared at him.

"Why do they like that? He is such a major pervert!" Sango complained. Miroku looked at her.

"Would you like me to read your palm, Sango-chan?" he asked, inching over to her.

"Why would I want you to do that? That line of yours doesn't seem to be getting any smaller," Sango answered back, moving away. Miroku sighed and went back to the other girls. Kagome snickered.

"Hey Toka, do you think Sango-chan likes Miroku-kun?" she asked InuYasha.

"Why would she like that womanizing jerk?" he asked back. "He's got commitment issues." Kagome burst into laughter.

"That's a good one!" Kagome said, trying to regain some composure. "But seriously, I've never seen Sango-chan look so jealous before. I think she may really like him."

"Then I feel really bad for her. With his personality and the number of fan girls he has at this school and our old one, she's going to have one hell of a time," InuYasha said, rolling his eyes. "I remember this one time at our old school, when a whole bunch of girls ransacked the boys' locker room. They made off with his gym clothes." Kagome must have thought that was the most hilarious thing she ever heard because she almost fell on the floor in laughter.

"Don't laugh. Those gym clothes cost money! I had to buy a new set of them," Miroku joined the conversation.

"Why didn't you ask for them back?" Kagome asked him.

"I would have, but the girls cut it up and distributed it among themselves," he answered back. Even Sango had to join the laughter in that one.

"What's going on over here? What's so funny?" Yuka said coming over. Kagome answered her.

"We were just laughing at Miroku-kun's women trouble," she said, trying to keep a straight face. Yuka opened her mouth to say something else, but the bell cut her off.

"Call me!" she yelled after Kagome as they went to their classes. Ayame greeted them at the door.

"I see you arrived here early just so you can all look at me for more than the allotted forty minutes," he said. InuYasha gave him a look that read, 'I can very easily kill you right now if I wanted to' and walked into the classroom. Soon, all the students were there and Ayame was ready.

"Now class, I hope you all have notebooks and something to write with because I expect you to take notes on my very important speech," he said. Everyone in the class looked at each other, whispered, and got out a notebook. When Ayame saw that everyone was ready, he said, "Now I will tell you about the time yours truly saved the future of a few boys when I was in school."

"Please make him stop," Yuki moaned, putting his head in his desk. Ayame continued as if he didn't hear Yuki; odds are, he didn't.

"You see, I was the student body president and during one of our field trips…" he started out.

"He wants us to take notes on this?" InuYasha said, a pulsing anger mark appearing on his head. "What the hell does this have to do with anything?"

"Obviously he feels this is important," Sango said. "Are you really going to take notes?"

"No, I'll die before I'll listen to this crap he's spewing," he answered. Kagome looked at the clock.

_"Only thirty-five more minutes to go," _she thought glumly to herself.

Thirty-three minutes later, Ayame ended his speech. "And that was how, I saved then from getting expelled. Any questions?" The red-haired Ayame raised her hand.

"How come you weren't expelled?" she asked looking a bit green. Actually, the whole class seemed a bit green.

"Well, Hari steeped in and said a few words; but I was the president until the end," he answered. "Now before the bell rings, I'd like to say something else. The class froze, afraid to hear what he would say next. "I know you all enjoyed my speech because you enjoy my presence, and if any of you feel the need…Please direct your sexual desires to me!" The entire class fell out of their seats.

"I envy his forwardness," Miroku said, picking himself off the floor. "He certainly has no shame."

"He certainly has no brain, either!" Sango said, helping Kagome to her feet. "I can't believe he just said that! He can get fired for that!"

"I don't think he cares anyway. Odds are, he'll say the same thing to the board of education," InuYasha said. "I wouldn't put it past him."

"At least you didn't have to teach the class today," Kagome said, trying to find some good from that day's 'lesson.'

"That was the only good thing about this class," Sango said back. The bell rang. The entire class made a rush for the door, and most of the boys pushed and shoved each other to get out first. InuYasha and the gang wormed their way out of there and headed towards gym. There, they were told that Shigure wouldn't be teaching that day because his editor had him tied to his chair so he could finish his manuscript.

"Some of you don't look that well. What's the matter?" Hatori asked, when he noticed that all the students from period one geometry still looked green.

"Our geometry teacher was telling us about when he was a student," one if the boys said.

"He told you about the class trip, didn't he," Hatori said. He nodded. "Just ignore him. Don't pay attention to his nonsense."

………………………………………………………………………

After school, Sango, Kagome, and Miroku waited outside for InuYasha. When he came out, Kagome asked him, "So how was it?"

"Feh, the bastard just lectured me, that's all," he answered. It was clear that he wanted to change the subject.

"Hey, do you guys want to play badminton? We don't have that much homework, and Sango-chan doesn't have a karate lesson today," she asked.

"That sounds like fun," Miroku answered. "Now, how do you play?"

"You've never played badminton before?"

"We can teach you. It's not hard," Sango said, running off to get rackets and a birdie. Kagome explained the rules while she was gone. When Sango came back, they found an empty court and split into teams.

"How about Sango-chan and I on one team, and Kagome-san and InuYasha on another?" Miroku suggested, walking over to where Sango was. Sango hit him with the racket.

"As long as you don't touch me!" she said. Miroku nodded and walked to the other side of the net. "Okay, look. Don't hit the birdie to hard. Just tap so that it goes over the net. Got it?"

"I think so," he answered.

"All right. Let's play!" Sango said, hitting the birdie to InuYasha. Soon they were running around the court in an all out war. With Sango on one side and InuYasha on the other, it was a very competitive match. So far, Sango's side was ahead by three points.

"C'mon, we've got to beat them!" InuYasha said to Kagome. "Hit it!" Kagome did hit it, but it didn't go over the net. It hit her racket on an angle and came back to hit InuYasha square in the face. Kagome was torn between being worried and being amused.

"Point for us!" Miroku yelled.

"Aw, hell no!" InuYasha yelled back. "That counts for nothin'"

"Yes it does! It didn't go over the net," Miroku answered back.

"It didn't hit the floor. It hit me!"

"It still counts, funny as it was."

"I don't see what's so funny about it."

"You're face when you saw it coming at you was priceless," Sango intervened. "That's why I want a picture camera phone."

"Shut up, both of you!" InuYasha yelled, turning red. His cell phone rang. When he looked at who was calling, he made a face. "It's that bastard again. Probably calling to see where I am."

"It is getting late, maybe we should go home," Kagome said, looking at the darkening sky.

"Yeah, my parents will start to worry if I'm not home soon," Sango said, gathering the badminton equipment.

"Can I escort you home again, Sango-chan?" Miroku asked, helping her with the rackets. Sango nodded.

"Higurashi, do you want another ride?" InuYasha asked Kagome. She blushed and nodded, and he drove her home.

………………………………………………………………………

"I'm telling you, Kagome's finally got a boyfriend!" Sota said at dinner.

"Be quiet you little twerp. What do you know?" Kagome said back.

"It was the same guy as yesterday. He better hope you don't scare him off!" Sota said. Kagome threw a pea at him.

"No boyfriends and no throwing food!" her grandfather said. "Now listen Sota, you need to start training for priesthood. We'll start tomorrow."

"But I don't wanna be a priest! I wanna be a professional soccer player!"

"What could be better than being a priest?"

"I think it's wonderful that Kagome's got a boyfriend," her mother said.

_"I have such a strange family,"_ Kagome thought to herself. She was spared any more part of the conversation when the phone rang. Hello, Higurashi residence," she answered.

"Kagome?" she heard Yuka's voice on the other line.

"Oh, hi Yuka. Sorry I didn't call you earlier. I was playing badminton," Kagome said cheerfully.

"Were you playing with Toka?" Yuka asked.

"Yeah, why? Is there something wrong?" Kagome asked.

"Well, some of the other girls are talking. They say that Toka and Houshi are to good for you," Yuka stated, her unease evident over the phone.

"Which girls?" Kagome asked. _"Should've known," _she thought to herself.

"You know, Yura, Kagura, and the rest of them. The really popular ones. I don't think you should act so friendly with Toka and Houshi. They might cause some problems."

"What can they do? Exclude me from society? They've already done that."

"They can do a lot of things. They're sneaky and they have a lot of connections at school. I mean, Yura's really good at manipulating people and Kagura comes from a rich family. I wouldn't want to get on her bad side," Yuka said, trying to make Kagome see where she was going with this.

"Yuka, don't worry about me. It doesn't matter. It's not like Toka's my boyfriend or anything," Kagome said, trying to calm her friend down.

"Kagome, please try to be discreet. They say if you act any more friendly, they're going to do something about it. Yura, Kagura, and some other girls. They say that they're going to teach you a lesson."

"Like what? I can't choose my friends without consulting them first?" Kagome said, mockingly.

"It's not funny Kagome, I'm serious. At least, stop taking rides from him."

"I never asked for a ride. He offered it to me!"

"Yeah, and he hasn't offered it to any one else except for you and Houshi. The other girls are really jealous," Yuka said. "Just don't come to school with him anymore."

"Fine, fine, I'll leave early tomorrow and I won't take a ride from him. Jeez!" Kagome said, tired of having this conversation.

"Thanks, and you know, this is only for your own good. Goodbye," Yuka hung up. Kagome stared at the phone.

_"Who do they think they are!" _she thought angrily, referring to Yura and Kagura. _"It's not up to them who I hang out with. Besides, it's not like he's my boyfriend or anything."_ A little voice answered back form within her mind. _"But you want him to be…"_

………………………………………………………………………

Ohhhh, a cliff-hanger! Aren't I just evil? Anyway, the drama in this chapter! And don't forget the fluff. I almost killed myself writing it, I thought it was that horrible. Besides that, this chapter is over 5,000 words. I have hand cramps now. Here's a preview of what to come.

InuYasha: (Speaking in monotone) In the next chapter, there will be drama, laughs, and a showdown between Kagome and the cool girls. Stay tuned. P.S. Ayame is the greatest.

Yami 396: Hey! That's not what it says!

InuYasha: (Shows paper) Yes it does.

Yami 396: Ayame! Did you put that in there?

Ayame: Well there wasn't enough of my greatness in this chapter so I thought I'd put it in the preview. Ha, ha, ha!

Yami 396: Idiot…


	4. New Secrets To Be Told

Chapter 4: New Secrets To Be Told

Yami 396

Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai! It's been so long since I've updated! You all must hate me! This chapter will be good, I promise!

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, I don't own nothin'. Any characters that you may recognize from other manga belong to their respective authors, not me. InuYasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

………………………………………………………………………

Needless to say, Kagome did not sleep very well that night. Every time she came close to sleep, the little voice in her head taunted her.

"You like InuYasha. You like InuYasha," it said, in a singsong voice. Kagome groaned, and rolled over. "Shut up," she mumbled. 

"_Never_," it replied. _"You can't make me shut up."_

"Go away! Stop talking to me!" Kagome said, putting a pillow over her head, trying to block out the voice. It didn't work.

"_I'll talk to you whenever I want. I own you…" _the voice said ominously. Kagome groaned into the pillow and tried to sleep, at least for a little while.

Her alarm clock went off sooner than she would have liked, and Kagome dragged herself out of bed. Forcing herself not to fall dead asleep on the floor, which to her looked very inviting, she got dressed. A snail would have looked as if it were speeding compared to the way Kagome made her way down the stairs.

"Oh, Kagome dear, I was wondering when you were going to get up," her mother greeted her cheerfully. Kagome forced herself to smile. "Your friend is waiting for you in the kitchen."

"_My_ _friend_?" Kagome thought. _"Sango-chan's usually doing her morning exercises, and Miroku-kun takes a ride with InuYasha…Oh, no, he didn't!" _Kagome looked into the kitchen, and her worst fears were realized.

"InuYasha! What are you doing here!" Kagome shrieked, forgetting to call him by his last name. InuYasha smirked at her.

"Your mother saw me waiting outside and she invited me in…Kagome," he said, calling her by first name to make her mad. Actually, he liked it better when she called him by his first name and he used that as an excuse to call her by her first name.

"Why were you waiting outside?"

"I was waiting for you to come running out like you always do in a panic so I could make fun of you."

"Oh, really?" Kagome said, sarcastically.

"Yeah. Hurry up, I gotta pick up Miroku soon," InuYasha said, lying, looking at the clock on the wall.

"I want to eat my breakfast first," Kagome said, crossing her arms. It wasn't that she was angry; she was more disappointed than anything else. She knew she shouldn't have expected him to actually wait for her, but it was a nice thought to entertain. And, in reality, InuYasha was lying. He had been loitering outside, trying to gain enough courage to knock on the door to ask Kagome if she would like to have had a ride. He was about to knock when her mother had opened the door and asked him if he would have liked to come in and wait for Kagome. But he wasn't about to tell her that.

"Well, just hurry up. I'll be waiting in the car," he said, leaving. Kagome sighed.

"Sis, why did you let him leave? You should've told him to stay!" Sota said, causing Kagome to jump. She hadn't realized he had been behind her for a while.

"Sota," Kagome began sweetly. "Just how long were you spying on me!" she yelled, flames dancing about her. Sota backed off.

"Okay, okay! You don't have to get so touchy," he said, grabbing some cereal. Fifteen minutes later, Kagome was ready to leave, and she headed out the door.

"Was that fast enough for you?" she asked InuYasha through the car window.

"No. I've been waiting here forever. You're lucky I didn't leave without you," he said, grinning mischievously. Kagome made a face at him and went to open the back door. InuYasha locked it.

"InuYasha," Kagome said, glaring at him.

"Kagome," he answered back, the grin growing wider.

"Unlock the door."

"You didn't say please."

"_Please_ unlock the door."

"Hmmm…No."

"InuYasha!" Kagome yelled. She was becoming annoyed. "You were just saying that you were waiting forever for me to come out, and now you won't even let me in the car!"

"Sit up front," he said, opening the passenger side door. Kagome stared at him. "What?" he asked, trying to read her expression. She shook her head.

"Never mind," she said, climbing in. "Isn't this Miroku-kun's seat though? He'll have to sit in the back."

"And that's…bad?" InuYasha said, making an illegal u-turn. "He can sit in the back. It's better than having him up here bothering me the whole time."

"He won't be upset?" Kagome was still unsure.

"Nothing upsets him. Besides, he knows that if he complains, I won't give him a ride anymore," InuYasha said, in a matter-of-fact way.

"That's horrible!" Kagome said, trying not to smile.

"Yeah, horrible for him. He'd never make it to school. He'd be walking in circles around his block and he wouldn't even notice it," InuYasha said, causing Kagome to laugh.

"He can't drive himself? I'm sure he can use On-Star, or something."

"His father won't let him drive. The idiot crashed the last two cars they had." InuYasha was having a hard time trying not to laugh himself. When Kagome laughed, it was infectious. It made him want to laugh too. InuYasha stopped and pressed his hand on the horn.

"What are you doing?" Kagome asked him, her hands over her ears.

"I'm getting the pervert, what does it look like I'm doing?" InuYasha said.

"What! I can't hear you!" Kagome yelled. This was partly because the horn was very loud and she had her hands over her ears. Kagome saw Miroku run out and InuYasha stopped pressing the horn.

"Get in the back, Miroku," InuYasha said, as Miroku went for the front door.

"You know," Miroku started as he sat in the back. "You don't have to blast the horn every morning for me to come out. You can knock."

"Feh, whatever," InuYasha answered.

"Hello, Miroku-kun," Kagome said.

"Ah, Kagome-san! I was wondering who took my seat," Miroku said, smiling. Kagome looked down.

"I'm sorry," she said. Miroku laughed.

"It's okay. I'm just wondering why InuYasha is having a change of heart, that's all."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"InuYasha has never given a girl a ride before. I think he likes you," Miroku teased. Kagome and InuYasha blushed.

"One more comment out of you, and I'll throw you out of the car," InuYasha threatened.

"Hey! It's Sango-chan!" Kagome said, seeing her friend out the window. "Can we give her a ride?" InuYasha said no at the same time Miroku said yes.

"Well, majority rules, so let's pick her up," Miroku said.

"What do I look like, a cab driver!" InuYasha complained. "Why do I have to drive everyone around?"

"Because you're the one with the car," Miroku stated.

"Shut up," InuYasha said, as he pulled over in front of Sango. "You want a ride?" he asked her.

"Uh, sure," Sango answered, surprised to see her best friend in the front seat with InuYasha. She got in the back. "Don't touch me," she said to Miroku, pointing a finger at him.

"Why Sango! What do you think I am?" Miroku said, in fake anger.

"You're a pervert, that's what you are," Sango answered in real sulkiness about having to sit next to a pervert. She was, in a sense, happy that she was sitting with him, but she would never admit, to anyone or to herself. Miroku edged closer and Sango looked out the window, strangely giddy all of a sudden. InuYasha, who had been watching through the mirror, smirked. Who said he couldn't have a little fun? He turned the car sharply and accelerated, causing everyone in the car to fall over to the left, except for InuYasha and Kagome, who had seen InuYasha's face and had anticipated something to this affect. Miroku, however, had not, and due to the fact that he was wearing no seatbelt, fell over hard. Right onto Sango.

**"PERVERT!" **she yelled, throwing him off of her. Miroku hit the other side of the car.

"Hey! Hey! No fighting! I don't want blood on the carpet!" InuYasha yelled.

"You're the one who caused it!" Sango yelled, her face the color of an over ripe tomato. "Learn how to drive, will you!"

"I know how to drive. And I didn't cause anything. I was avoiding a pothole. Miroku should know about seatbelt safety," InuYasha said, staring straight ahead. Only Kagome seemed to be fighting laughter.

"You were avoiding a pothole," Sango repeated in disbelief. "A pothole."

"Yes, a pothole. Can we move on?" InuYasha said sarcastically.

"Does anyone care about me?" Miroku said, holding the back of his head.

"Not really," InuYasha answered. Miroku sighed.

"I'm always getting hit by women. Why?" he asked, looking up.

"Because you're disrespectful!" Sango yelled. She couldn't look at him. If she looked at him, he might be able to tell that she wasn't as angry as she had seemed. He might be able to tell that after the shock wore off, she hadn't really minded…Sango was broken out of her thoughts.

"Hello, earth to Sango-chan! Is anyone in there?" Kagome asked her.

"What? Oh, yes Kagome-chan?" Sango said, trying to regain some composure.

"I was asking you if you wanted to go to the mall after school with me today," Kagome said, smiling at her.

"Sorry, I have to watch Kohaku today," Sango said, smiling apologetically.

"It's okay. I'll just hang out at home," Kagome said.

"InuYasha can take you to the mall," Miroku interrupted, very willing to get even with InuYasha. To his surprise, InuYasha didn't get mad. Or so he thought.

"I have to go straight home after school. I have sword arts to practice," InuYasha said calmly. "Now get out."

"Huh?" Miroku could sense impending danger.

"I said get out."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"We'll be late if you keep messing around," Sango warned. InuYasha pulled over and got out of the car. In a matter of seconds, he pulled Miroku out and left him on the sidewalk. He got back in a drove off.

"InuYasha!" Kagome recovered her voice. "That was horrible! Go back and get him!"

"Why? We're right at the school," InuYasha said, pointing out the window.

"Oh," Kagome said. She looked back, and she saw Miroku running up the block to meet them. The bell rang.

During their morning classes, not much happened. In geometry, Ayame pestered everyone and gym was it's usual disaster, with Shigure being his perverted self again. In fact, nothing note worthy happened until lunch.

"Man, I'm hungry!" InuYasha said, digging around for his ramen. "Doing absolutely nothing does that to you."

"Do you always eat ramen?" Kagome asked him, noticing that he always seemed to have ramen for lunch.

"It's only the best food in the world!" InuYasha answered.

"Ewwww…" Sango said.

"Um…Miroku-sama…" three girls popped up behind Miroku, who jumped.

"Yes, ladies?" he asked, returning to his flirtation self. Kagome didn't miss the growl that came from Sango.

"We just wanted to give you this pocky, that's all," the girls said, running off to their table after giving him the candy.

"Well, that was nice of them," Miroku said. "I'll save it until after I eat." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Kagome!" a voice suddenly called her. She turned around and saw an old friend.

"Shippo-chan!" she said, looking at the kitsune. "I guess I can't call you that anymore, huh." Shippo had grown a lot that summer and now looked much more like an adult than a two-year old.

"Naw, you can still call me that. I'm still short," he said. It was the truth. When Kagome stood up, she was still a good few inches taller than him.

"I haven't seen you in a while, Shippo-chan. I guess we don't have any classes together," Kagome said.

"Yeah," Shippo said, looking downcast. While he had grown, he still had the countenance of a child. "But I guess we have lunch together!" he continued brightly. Kagome quickly introduce him to her friends, though he already knew Sango.

"Nice to meet you, Shippo," Miroku said politely. InuYasha acknowledged Shippo with a gruff 'Feh.'

"And to celebrate our new friendship, lets have some pocky!" Miroku handed out pocky to everyone.

"This smells funny," Shippo said, after he gladly accepted the gift.

"Hmm? I don't smell anything," Miroku said.

"Those girls put something on here," Sango said, looking closely at her pocky. As part of her demon-slaying training, Sango was acutely aware of any type of powder or liquid that looked out of place.

"Are you sure you're not being paranoid?" Miroku asked her. Sango glared at him. "I mean, it's not like they're trying to kill me right?" he said, backing off.

"I don't think they'll poison you. It'll probably knock you out for a while," Sango said. Everyone stared at her.

"How do you know?" Kagome asked her.

"I know a lot about different substances. It comes with the training," Sango stated.

"Let's try it out," InuYasha said. He scanned the lunchroom, and to his luck, he saw none other than Ayame Sohma. "Sohma-sensei!" he called.

"Yes?" Ayame said, waltzing over. "Do you want help with anything? Because I, the great Ayame, can help you with anything. I remember this one time, when I was the student body president…"

"No, no. Don't go any further," InuYasha said quickly. "I just wanted to know if you wanted any pocky." InuYasha held out the treat.

"Ah yes, pocky. This reminds me of yet another time…" Ayame began, but was quickly cut off.

"Just eat it," InuYasha said.

"My, my. You sure are bossy." Nevertheless, Ayame ate it. Five seconds later, he was snoring on the floor. Miroku looked green.

"I will never again eat pocky in my life," Miroku stated as the bell rang.

"You have to admit though, it would have been funny to see you pass out," InuYasha said.

"What about Sohma-sensei?" Kagome asked, looking back at Ayame, who was still on the floor.

"What about him? No one's going to miss him," InuYasha said. And as much as Kagome hated to admit it, he was right.

The rest of the school day went by without too much trouble. That is, until the last bell rang.

"I'll meet you outside, Sango-chan! I just need to get my spare uniform from my locker," Kagome called to her best friend.

"All right, I'll be waiting here. Don't take too long," Sango said. Kagome had found her extra uniform buried under several books in her locker, when she was aware of some one behind her. She turned to find Yura and a few other girls she didn't know. Kasa Yura was one of the richest girls in school, and she used her connections to get anything she wanted. Most of the girls in school tried to keep away from her by all means possible, unless they were willing to become her slaves, in a sense. Kagome could sense something was wrong.

"Um, yes, Kasa-san?" Kagome asked her.

"What's the deal with you and InuYasha?" Yura said bluntly. The girls behind her coursed, "Yeah, yeah. Full and complete detail!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kagome said, trying to edge away. Yura slammed her hand down on the locker.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. What's with you getting all the attention? You're nothing special," she snapped. Kagome felt her temper rise.

"And you are?" Kagome countered. Yura leaned over so that their foreheads were touching.

"All I'm saying is that if you know that's good for you, you'll stay away from InuYasha and Miroku. There are girls a lot higher on the food chain than you, and we get first dibs. You just get the leftovers," she said, and then she turned a walked away, the other girls following her like lap dogs. Kagome clenched her fists.

_"Who do they think they are?"_ she fumed to herself. _"They can't tell me what to do!" _

"What's the matter, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked her as she walked down the steps.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," Kagome said, doing her best to smile and act like she hadn't just been threatened. Sango looked at her. She was able to tell when something was wrong, but she knew better than to pursue the subject. Kagome would tell her when she was good and ready to.

"Hey! Do you want a ride?" InuYasha yelled to the two girls.

"No, it's okay. I'll walk home," Sango refused politely.

"Yeah, sure," Kagome said. Before she and InuYasha went into the car, he said, "Maybe I'll take you to the mall tomorrow." Kagome looked at him in shock, but he had already turned and was getting into his seat.

"If you move any slower, I'll leave you behind!" he yelled, reverting to his obnoxious self. He wondered why he said that. But she had looked so sad when she had come out, and for some reason, he had wanted to make her feel better. It did work. Kagome's mood brightened visibly, and she felt that she was being stupid for taking Yura's threat so seriously. She was still beaming when she went inside.

"Kagome dear, I'd like to talk to you," her mother said, looking uncharacteristically serious.

"Sure," Kagome said confused. Her mother rose, and beckoned Kagome to follow her. Her mother brought Kagome to a small shrine at the very edge of their property. Kagome recognized it as the shrine she had been forbidden to touch since she was a child. She wondered why her mother had brought her here.

"I'll bet you're wondering why I'm showing this to you," her mother began, as if reading Kagome's mind. "This shrine is very special and important. You mustn't tell anyone about this. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Kagome said, slightly agitated. She didn't know why, but she was sensing something incredibly strong coming from inside the shrine. Some thing seemed to call to her, to have a closer look. Her mother opened the shrine. On a chain, a small jewel was hanging, glowing softly. _"A necklace,"_ Kagome realized. It was on a small pedestal, with two small incense burners on either side of it. Kagome looked at her mother.

"Are you familiar with the legend of the sacred jewel?" her mother asked, looking at her. Kagome shook her head. She had lost her voice from a mixture of shock and fear. "The Shikon No Tama is a very strong jewel. It gives power to demons." Kagome's eyes widened at this. "Kept in the hand of someone with a pure soul, the jewel is pure. In the hands of a tainted soul, the jewel is tainted. Are you following me?" Kagome could only nod. "No body outside of the Higurashi family knows of its existence. Many believe that it was destroyed during the Sengoku-jidai, while others believe it never existed at all. It's been the Higurashi family secret for years, and it must stay that way," her mother said with finality.

"Why are you telling me this?" Kagome asked, suddenly afraid of the answer.

"I know this may be hard for you, but you are the right age to become its protector." Kagome stared at her mother. "As soon as you finish high school, you will protect it from evil," her mother finished.

"Why me?" Kagome asked. "Why not Sota? Grandpa always wanted Sota to become a priest."

"Only a priestess can protect it," her mother answered. "You will start training some time this week. I'm sorry." Kagome could only look on with shock.

"You mean, I can't tell anyone? Not even Sango-chan?" Kagome asked. Her mother shook her head.

"No one can know about it. You never know who may be listening. I'm sorry. I know it's a huge burden, but someone must," her mother said again, closing the doors to the shrine. "This shrine has wards around it so that demons cannot sense the jewel. It must never leave the shrine." Then she gathered Kagome into a hug, to try to ease the pain she knew her daughter was feeling. She had felt the same way when she had found out she needed to protect it. Neither one of them noticed the shadow that moved in the trees behind them.

Kagome walked inside feeling numb.

"Hey sis! Do you wanna play video games with me?" Sota asked, cheerfully. At that moment, Kagome felt a wave of resentment at the fact that Sota had no worries at the moment when her life came crashing down. Then she felt so horrible that she didn't even want to look at herself.

"No thanks, Sota. I'll think I'll start on my homework now," Kagome lied, walking up the steps. She had already reached for the phone and dialed Sango's number before she even realized what she was doing.

"Hello?" Sango's voice came over the phone.

"Sango-chan…" Kagome began. Her friend could tell immediately that something was very wrong.

"Kagome-chan? Kagome-chan!" Sango yelled as Kagome burst into sobs, her entire body shaking all over.

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Okay! Time to end! Yeah, I know. Horrible way to end the chapter. It started out so happy, and then it ended so sadly. Oh well, that's the way my mind works. Anyway, the plot thickens. Took four chapters, but it thickened. And I broke the mold. Yay for me!


	5. Subtle Changes

Chapter 5: Subtle Changes

Yami 396

Chapter 5! Yay!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha and never will.

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"Kagome! Kagome, what's wrong?" Sango yelled over the phone as Kagome cried her eyes out on the other side of the line. "Kagome, what happened!" Sango said when Kagome didn't answer her.

"Sango-chan…can…can I come over…" Kagome's voice broke as fresh sobs rose. Kagome desperately needed to talk to someone, even though her mother had told she couldn't tell anyone about the jewel. She understood that knowledge of the jewel's existence in the wrong hands could lead to dire consequences, but Kagome threw those thoughts out the window. Besides, she would only tell Sango. Sango wouldn't want the jewel. Right?

"Kagome, what's going on?" Sango asked, clearly worried about her friend.

"I'll tell you when I come over, okay?" Kagome said. "I can't tell you over the phone. It's not safe."

"What?" Sango was clearly confused, and more than a bit disturbed. Kagome often told her everything, but what could be so horrible that it wasn't safe to mention it over the phone? Sango remembered the day when Kagome's father had died. The two of them had spent every single minute on the telephone, Kagome desolate, and Sango trying to console her. _"What could be worse?" _Sango thought.

"I'll be right over, okay?" Kagome's voice came over the phone. "You don't mind right?"

"Just as long as you tell me what's going on," Sango answered.

"I promise," Kagome said, and hung up the phone, leaving a very stunned Sango to try and figure out why her friend had acted so strangely. Kagome placed the phone back in its proper place and leaned heavily on the table. She was suddenly exhausted, and she'd like nothing more than to fall asleep and wake up the next morning to find out everything that had happened was all a dream. But she knew that she wasn't dreaming, and she would have to face the music sooner or later and accept it, but she would have a friend's help in facing it.

Outside, a figure carefully replaced the phone line that he had been tapping into. "Stupid girl," he muttered softly. "Don't you listen to your mother? You never know who may be listening." He finished with a smirk. He had been planning this for years, ever since that wench had told him all he needed to know about the Shikon No Tama. She had told him who was protecting the jewel, and who would be next. She told him everything she knew about Higurashi Kagome, her strengths, her weaknesses, and her personality. Now all he needed to do was to slowly gain her trust, and make her think that she could trust him. But he would have to do it soon. That damned half-breed was a threat. His face, hidden underneath his disguise, turned up in disgust. _"That half-breed is getting too close to her. If he gets any closer, then my plan won't work. We might be the same but…"_ he thought. He would have to take action. He pulled a cell phone out and began dialing. A voice answered on the first ring.

"Yes?" A woman's voice came over the line.

"I need you to take care of a certain half-breed for me," he spoke quietly, never using his or the woman's name. They had agreed to this, so no one knew who they were.

"You want me to kill him?" she asked.

"No. I want you to get close to him. Break him and Higurashi apart," he answered.

"Fine. Keep trailing her," the voice commanded, and then hung up. He smirked at the phone_. "Yes, keep thinking you're in charge. Keep thinking that you can boss me around. When this is over, I'll give you a death worthy of your name,"_ he thought, as he ridded himself of his disguise, and disappeared into the crowded sidewalk.

Kagome left ten minutes after her phone call, completely unaware of what had transpired outside. She had regained a little composure, and had told her mother she was heading to Sango's house for some tutoring in geometry. As much as she hated lying to her mother, it had to be done. It was fifteen-minute ride to her friend's house on her bike, but Kagome enjoyed it. It gave her some freedom, and it ended too soon for her liking as she rode up to Sango's house. She knocked on the door and it was answered by Sango's little brother Kohaku. She smiled at him.

"Hey, how are you doing?" she asked him.

"Alright," he answered. He was a shy boy, and even though he had known Kagome for a long time, he was still a bit uncomfortable around her. "I'll get Sango," he said, running off into the house.

"Kagome!" Sango yelled as she came running down the stairs. "I want to know everything! Everything! Tell me what's happened!" Sango said, as she rushed Kagome up to her room. "Kohaku, why don't you go play video games or something," she said to her brother, who nodded and disappeared.

"You have to swear that you won't tell anyone else about this," Kagome said when they had reached Sango's room.

"Why?" Sango asked.

"Just promise me, okay?" Kagome said, urgency showing through her voice.

"Sure, but what could be this serious?" Sango asked, becoming more confused by the second.

"Are you familiar with the legend of the Shikon No Tama?" Kagome asked her. Sango's eyes widened.

"Yeah! I've heard about it. But it was destroyed a long time ago…" Sango broke off when Kagome shook her head. "You mean it's still around?" Kagome nodded.

"It's my family's duty to protect it," she said. Sango stared at her. Kagome continued. "I just found out today that as soon as I finish high school, I'll have to protect it full time from demons and evil people."

"Oh, wow," was all Sango could say. "But why you? Your Grandfather always wanted Sota to become a priest, so why not him?"

"I asked my mother the same question," Kagome replied sadly. "She said that only a priestess could protect it." Kagome could feel the sense of helplessness rise again. "I'm just so scared Sango-chan. I've never had this kind of responsibility before. All my plans for the future have changed. And what if I screw up, and a demon gets a hold of the jewel, what then?" Tears began to well up in Kagome's eyes. Sango put her arms around her friend.

"It's okay," Sango said, trying to comfort her. "You'll be fine. If anyone can protect the sacred jewel, it's you." Kagome felt a little better.

"Sango-chan, you can't tell anyone. Not your father, not Kohaku-kun, nobody," Kagome said. Sango nodded.

"I understand," she said. Sango had never been one to tell secrets. And she knew that this secret was one that absolutely must not get out. There were plenty of people Sango knew that would do anything to gain power, and the sacred jewel would do more than that.

"I should probably go home now," Kagome said. It's getting late."

"Do you want me to walk with you home?" Sango asked her, still a bit worried about Kagome.

"No, it's okay. I'll be fine," Kagome said, smiling. She didn't want Sango to worry too much about her. She already felt better that she had told someone. Meanwhile, as Kagome and Sango made their way downstairs, the same figure that had tapped into Kagome's phone line was tampering with her bicycle. He didn't want to hurt her, yet, he just wanted to make sure she had, as of yet, few means of escape. He let all the air out of both tires, and retreated into the shadows just as Kagome and Sango came outside.

"This is weird," Kagome said, looking at her tires. "They're both flat. They were fine when I rode here."

"You probably rolled over glass or something. It takes a while for them to deflate sometimes," Sango said, examining them closely. "You can leave your bike here, I'll fill it up with air later. You don't mind walking home, do you?"

"I need the exercise," Kagome said with a laugh. "I'll be alright," she added as Sango began to ask her if she was sure she wanted to walk home by herself. "_I've already caused her enough trouble anyway, going over there and spilling all my troubles onto her like that,"_ Kagome thought as she walked down the street. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice she was going to crash into someone until she did. The two of them had been walking very fast, and the impact of them colliding sent them both sprawling onto the sidewalk. Kagome recovered first.

"Oh my God! I am so sorry! Are you okay?" she asked, embarrassed.

"No, no, don't be. It was my fault," the person got up, and Kagome saw that she had crashed into a man a few years older than she. He looked down at her. "I should have been watching were I was going," he said, smiling.

"It's still partly my fault. I shouldn't have been spaced out," Kagome said, still trying to take some of the blame. He laughed.

"You're very sweet," he said, causing Kagome to turn a shade darker. "Please, let me help you with your things," he said, gesturing to the books that had fallen out of Kagome's backpack. She hadn't meant to use them; she brought them to make it look like she was going to study.

"It's okay. I'll get them, "Kagome said, hiding her face behind her bangs as she collected her books. "I'm really very sorry."

"And I'm sorry too. Are we even now?" he asked. Kagome nodded. "Ah yes, I never got your name," he added, looking at her. Kagome gave him a sharp look. "You don't trust me?" he said, raising his eyebrows. Kagome immediately felt ashamed.

"No, it's not that…I'm Higurashi Kagome," she said, with a smile.

"That's a very pretty name," he replied, which caused Kagome to blush deeper. He noticed. "Are you alright?" he asked, trying to look at her face. "You're all red, do you have a fever?"

"No, no…" Kagome stammered. "Umm…what about you? What's your name?" He looked at her, as if trying to study her. She shrank back, but then he smiled.

"Bikushi…Bikushi Kagewaki…" he answered. "I'll see you around Higurashi-san." And with that, he was gone, leaving a very stunned Kagome standing in the middle of the sidewalk. She stood there, kind of in a trance until the sound of squealing brakes snapped her out of it, and she shook her head, and ran the rest of the way home. What she didn't realize was that the squealing brakes belonged to a very angry hanyou who had seen the part of her encounter. InuYasha cursed under his breath.

"Damn idiot! What was that all about?" he asked to no one. "Who the hell was that jerk?" InuYasha had been at Miroku's house, trying to teach him directions. It had taken longer than InuYasha had liked, and he had given up and left as soon as he was done with dinner. He had been driving too fast on the road when he thought he saw Kagome. He circled around the block to make sure, and was about to ask her what she was doing out so late, but then he noticed that she was not alone. She was with a guy a few years older than him, with long black hair and brown eyes. And Kagome was blushing and smiling. InuYasha hadn't realized that he had been staring behind him until he heard a shout and realized that he was about to crash into a tree. A hard break, a quick turn, and several curses later, he was in his room, blowing up aliens with fervor. "Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!" he yelled for each alien he blew up on his computer. He didn't know why he was so upset; it wasn't like she was his girlfriend or anything. But it just made him mad seeing Kagome with some other guy. InuYasha growled thinking about it, and he missed the one alien that had survived his attacks and it killed his man. "Bugger!" InuYasha shouted at the computer. His door opened.

"There are other people living here, half-breed," Sesshoumaru said.

"Get out of my room," InuYasha growled. He couldn't stand his half-brother on a good day, and right now he was ready to kill something.

"Did your human wench leave you?" Sesshoumaru taunted. InuYasha threw the nearest book at him, which happened to be his History textbook. Sesshoumaru was too fast, however, and he had closed the door, causing the book to slam into it with a satisfying crack. "I'll make you pay for that if it's ruined," he called up.

"Go to hell," InuYasha mumbled, without much conviction. He was upset, and he didn't know why, which just made him more upset.

_"It's because you like her,"_ a voice told him. _"You like her, and you want her for yourself." _InuYasha blushed and mentally kicked himself. "Great, now voices are talking to me," he said to himself.

"Talking to yourself now, are you?" Sesshoumaru reappeared briefly and then disappeared again. InuYasha put his head on his desk. That girl, that Kagome, was slowly driving him into insanity.

The next, day, InuYasha decided to be a baby, and he refused to pick up Kagome, despite the protests of Miroku. Kagome couldn't say she was upset or anything, but there was a part of her that was slightly crushed that he hadn't come for her.

_"Come on, let's go find him and make him tell you why he ditched you this morning!"_ the little voice in her head nagged her. Kagome ignored it.

"Hey, did your boyfriend dump you?" some girl sneered at her, as she passed her by the steps. Kagome twitched.

"Whatever gave you that thought," Kagome replied, her voice sweet, but her eyes were narrowed into slits.

"You didn't get your usual ride today. Did he finally come to his senses and decide to pick a better girl for him?" The girl was about to say more, but Sango was behind her, and she looked ready to kill.

"And you think you're good enough for him?" Sango said, cracking her knuckles. The girl had enough sense to run off, screeching about dangerous tomboys. "Are you okay, Kagome-chan?" Sango said to Kagome.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kagome said, more worried about her friend than about herself. Sango looked around. "What are you looking for?" Kagome asked her.

"It's not a what I'm looking for. It's a who. Where's that InuYasha. Houshi-kun told me what happened this morning," Sango replied. "Ah, there he is! Hey, InuYasha!"

"Crap," InuYasha muttered, and he tried to get away, but he was stopped by Miroku. "What are you doing? Let me go!" InuYasha yelled.

"Where were you this morning?" Sango asked him, as soon as she caught up with him.

"Feh, like that's any of your business," InuYasha snapped. Sango's eyes narrowed.

"If it has to do with Kagome-chan, then it _is _my business," she snapped back. "How come you didn't pick her up this morning?"

"Because I didn't feel like it."

"That's no excuse!"

"She should've asked her new friend to pick her up. Bastard." InuYasha added under his breath.

"Her new friend?" Sango asked him, looking at Kagome. Kagome thought for a little bit.

"I don't remember…" Kagome said, as she racked her brain for a new friend.

"Idiot. That guy you were with last night!" InuYasha said, his temper rising at the mere thought of it.

"Oh, him!" Kagome finally remembered. "He's not my friend. I just bumped into him when I was walking home from Sango's house. I didn't even know him. You were mad because of that?" Kagome asked, both surprised and slightly flattered.

"I hope you feel very stupid right now," Miroku told InuYasha. "You really shouldn't jump to conclusions like that."

"Shut up pervert!" InuYasha said, the color rising to his cheeks. He did indeed feel stupid, but he also felt slightly relieved as well.

"How can you get mad at Kagome for something that wasn't even her fault!" Shippo yelled, causing everyone to jump. He had heard the argument, and because he was so small, he went unnoticed when he showed up. "You're pretty hopeless."

"Shut up punk!" InuYasha slammed his fist into Shippo's head, causing a rather large bump to appear, and making Shippo cry in the process.

"InuYasha!" Kagome chided him. "Don't hit him!"

"He deserved it," InuYasha said, looking away.

"Well, I think things are back to normal," Miroku said, standing next to Sango. Sango's face turned pink and the all-too-familiar giddiness rose up in her. That is, until Miroku decided it was time for a grope…and his face became well acquainted with Sango's hand.

"You're depraved!" she shouted as she stomped down the hallway, causing more than a few students to scatter for fear of their lives.

Lunch, once again, proved to be the only interesting part of the school day, though InuYasha would be the first to disagree.

"Don't come anywhere near me, you got that Houshi-kun?" Sango said to Miroku, pointing her chopsticks at him.

"Yes, yes, Sango-chan," he replied, his face still red from her slap.

"Don't call me that!" she yelled, her face tinged again with pink.

"Yes, Sango-chan."

"You are going to die."

"Is it just me, or does anyone else sense some bad karma around here?" Shippo asked, sucking on a lollipop.

"I think it's cute," Kagome said, smiling. Sango glared at her.

"Hey, Miroku. Want some pocky?" InuYasha teased Miroku. Miroku turned green.

"No, no pocky!" he said, pushing the rest of his food away. "Hey, isn't that Koga-kun?" Miroku asked, pointing across the room.

"Does that bastard want another fight?" InuYasha growled, flexing his claws. He was referring to the fight between Koga and Yuki a few days ago. Yuki had won. "Cause I'll give him one."

Does anyone here know a Higurashi Kagome?" Koga asked, stepping all over InuYasha.

"I'm Kagome," Kagome said, wondering what Hikato Koga would want with her.

"Kagome," Koga started out, grasping both of her hands. "You are my woman." Everyone at the table fell over.

"What!" Kagome said, trying to figure out what was going on. She couldn't tell if he was kidding or if he was being serious.

"I want you to be my woman," he said again. This time, InuYasha stepped in.

"I don't think she wants to be your woman," InuYasha snapped at him. Koga dropped Kagome's hands.

"Butt out of it mutt-face. It doesn't concern you," he said. InuYasha twitched at the nickname.

"Say that again, you mangy wolf. I won't let you off as easy as Yuki did," InuYasha said, cracking his fingers.

"You think I'm afraid of some pathetic half-breed?"

"Better than you, wolf-boy!"

"Hikato-kun is a demon?" Kagome asked Sango. She nodded,

"Yeah, he's a wolf demon. You can't sense it?" she asked Kagome.

"No, I've never been able to sense demons. My cousin can, I think," Kagome answered. "I'll probably have to learn, though."

Sango nodded. Miroku looked confused, but Kagome was saved from questions by the bell. Koga ran off.

"Kagome! I'll be back for you!" he yelled as he ran off, surprisingly fast. InuYasha glared after him. It was lucky for all of them that they had no classes with him either, so the rest of the day flew by. Kagome was heading home when InuYasha stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked her.

"I'm going home," Kagome said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"No you're not," InuYasha replied.

"What do you mean I'm not going home?"

"Didn't I tell you that I'd take you to the mall today?"

"You weren't lying!"

"Gee, thanks," he said in mock anger. "Get in."

"Can I borrow your cell phone for a minute. I need to call my mother," Kagome told him. He tossed her his cell.

"Hello Mom? Hi, can I go to the mall with InuYasha? He's the one that was in the kitchen the other day…thanks!" Kagome hung up. "She said yes."

"Good, now get in," InuYasha said, pointing to the seat next to him. When they arrived at the mall, the first thing that Kagome wanted to do was to go shopping. InuYasha wanted to eat.

"Shopping first, then we eat," Kagome said.

"Eating first, and then shopping, InuYasha said. They flipped a coin. Kagome won. InuYasha sulked as she ran around stores looking at everything, but buying nothing. Luckily for InuYasha, the next store that she picked had a magazine rack, and he started to flip through one of them, not really seeing anything on the page. He was aware of Kagome's presence behind and he turned around.

"What?" he asked.

"I wanted to see what you were reading, but you turned the pages so fast, I couldn't see anything," she explained. A person standing near then put down his magazine.

"I thought it was you Higurashi-san. I just wanted to make sure," Kagewaki said, smiling at her. InuYahsa's eyes narrowed.

"Oh! Bikushi-san! I didn't see you there," Kagome said, unaware of InuYasha's change of mood.

"Please, call me Kagewaki," he said politely. Kagome blushed.

"Um, sure…Kagewaki…Oh, yeah! You haven't met InuYasha! InuYasha, this is Bikushi Kagewaki. Kagewaki, this is Toka InuYasha." Kagome introduced him. Kagewaki bowed to him; InuYasha jerked his head. Kagome became aware of the tension rising from InuYasha. "Well, we have to leave so bye Kagewaki!" she said, starting to walk away.

"Let me at least treat you to something to eat," Kagewaki said. Kagome shook her head. "I insist," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the food court. InuYasha followed behind them, growling. While they were eating, Kagome found that she and Kagewaki had a lot in common. They talked about everything, and they left InuYasha out of the conversation. He was more than just a little irritated when Kagewaki said he had to leave.

"I hope I'll run into you again sometime, Kagome," he called as he walked away. As soon as he was gone, InuYasha turned to Kagome.

"More than a little chatty, I see," his jealousy evident. Kagome sighed.

"I was just trying to be polite," she said, not understanding why InuYasha was so mad.

"Oh, you were way more than polite," he snapped sarcastically. Kagome felt her own temper rise.

"You are just so stupid!" she yelled, and several people in the food court turned to look at them. "Grow up you big baby!" InuYasha was stunned to silence as Kagome ran off. He debated leaving her there, but his conscious nagged him to go find her, so he followed her scent to the benches outside of the mall. When he was close to her, he could see that she was crying.

_"I-I-I made her cry!" _he thought frantically. He had never been good with crying women, but even so, it was worse because it was Kagome who was crying and he had made her. InuYasha sat down next to her.

"Come on. Don't cry! You're making me uncomfortable," he said, as people passing by stared at them. Kagome made a noise halfway between a sob and a laugh. "Come on. I'm sorry, okay? Does that make you feel better?"

"A little," she said, sniffling. She felt better because InuYasha was trying to comfort her. "You want to go home now?" she asked him.

"Sure," he said and he drove her home. Once he had driven off, Kagome stepped inside the kitchen.

"Kagome! There's someone I'd like you to meet!" her mother called her from the living room. Kagome stepped in. Her mother was sitting next to a very pretty woman, who was young and had long black hair and blue eye shadow accenting her brown eyes.

"Yes?" Kagome asked. She could sense something powerful about this woman.

"Kagome, I'd like you to meet Midoriko-san. She will be training you to become a priestess."

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Okay! This chapter was waaayyy to long. Anyway, who is this person in disguise? And who is Kagewaki? Keep reading.


	6. First Dates Are Always The Hardest

Chapter 6: First Dates Are Always The Hardest

Yami 396

Warning! This chapter is dedicated solely to the continuing relationships of InuYasha and Kagome. I know that the genre changed from Humor/Romance to Action/Adventure/Romance, but I'm the author and InuYasha and Kagome have taken way too long to hook up on their own. This is a little break from all the drama in the past two chapters. Enjoy FLUFF!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi. I just like to put the characters through hell…

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"Training?" asked Kagome. The shock was evident in her voice, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. With the way the past few days were going, Kagome had her doubts that she would ever be able to return to her previously normal life. Her mother smiled at her.

"Yes, training. You will start within a week," her mother informed her. Kagome bit back a groan.

"What kind of training," she asked, trying not to show her disappointment. Midoriko smiled. She knew an unwilling student when she saw one.

"I'll train you in the powers of a priestess," Midoriko began. "I can teach you to recognize a demonic aura, sense the presence of the jewel, and shoot Sacred Arrows."

"Sacred…Arrows?" Kagome said, uneasily. She had tried to take archery lessons before, with disastrous results. Her instructor had informed her, none too kindly, that Kagome was not made out for archery and that she should drop the notion of being a world-class archer before she killed someone.

"You don't know what they are, I assume," Midoriko said, when she saw Kagome's face.

"No, I don't. I was just remembering my previous archery lessons," Kagome replied, not bothering to go into detail. Midoriko didn't need to know she wasn't good at archery.

"Yes, your mother told me about them." Kagome sweat-dropped.

"She did?" Kagome asked apprehensively.

"Mmhmm."

"Mom!"

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but she asked," her mother said with a laugh. "And I couldn't very well lie and say you were excellent."

"That instructor didn't like me! I wasn't half as bad as she said I was!" Kagome protested. For some reason, she wanted to look good in front of Midoriko. Something about radiated respect and complete self-control. It was all a bit discerning to Kagome.

"There's no reason to be ashamed, Kagome," Midoriko said, as if reading into Kagome's soul. "You don't have to be good at the something the first time around. All you need to do is work at it. I'm sure you'll do fine." Kagome was a bit reassured. Still, it seemed that her social life was going down the drain, at least to Kagome.

Unbeknownst to her, her closest friend and advisor was plotting a way to cheer Kagome up.

"Ugh! I don't know what to do!" Sango threw her pillow at her wall for effect. "I can't buy her something, then she'll know what I'm trying to do. And I can't use a holiday as an excuse! Christmas is too far off, and it's nowhere near her birthday! The only holiday I can think of is Halloween, and who gives out presents on Halloween?" she finished, throwing up her hands towards the sky, as if asking for divine intervention. Divine intervention came in the form of a phone call.

"Umm, Sango-neechan," Kohaku had heard her yelling, and being the timid boy he was, he didn't want to interrupt her rant.

"Yes, Kohaku-chan?" she asked in a gentler tone, to which Kohaku was happy about.

"You have a phone call," he said, handing the cordless phone to her.

"Who is it?" Kohaku shrugged. He truthfully didn't know who the caller was, and for some reason or another, the caller had asked to remain anonymous. He left.

"Hello?" she asked, expecting Kagome or another one of her friends, and that it was just Kohaku playing a prank on her. She was not prepared for the response.

"Why my dear Sango-chan, hello!" Miroku's voice came over the receiver, causing Sango to almost drop it.

"Houshi-kun!" Sango was momentarily stunned. "How did you get this number?"

"I have my ways, Sango-chan, I have my ways," he said.

"I told you not to call me Sango-chan!" she said, blushing furiously. It was the first time a boy had ever called her.

"But what else can I call you?" Miroku asked, teasing her.

"What do you want?" Sango asked, becoming impatient.

"I was wondering if you would like to have a little fun," came the answer. There was an audible gasp over the phone line that did not come from Sango or Miroku.

"KOHAKU!" Sango yelled, her embarrassment causing her voice to jump several octaves. "Get off the other phone line!" There was a click, and then silence in which Sango tried desperately to control the blush that was spreading all across her face, and Miroku tried to regain some of his hearing abilities.

"My Sango-chan, I didn't know you could yell so loudly," he said at last, rubbing his throbbing ear.

"You. Are. Such. A. PERVERT!" Sango said, emphasizing the last word. Miroku sighed.

"Your brother misunderstood my intentions," he said.

"And what exactly are your…intentions?"

"To have a little fun," he said innocently.

"Not at my expense," Sango said. She could just imagine the look on his face right now.

"I was thinking more of at Kagome's and InuYasha's expenses," he said.

"What's that supposed to mean," Sango asked him, a bit suspicious.

"You know, egg the two of them on a little bit."

"Egg them on?"

"Yeah, set them up on a date," Miroku said. Sango laughed.

"Yeah, that'll be the day. They wouldn't go on a date with each other is they were the last two people on the planet!" she said.

"Yes, that is a problem," Miroku said in all seriousness. "But if we don't tell them that they're going on a date together, then they might say yes," he finished ecstatically.

"You mean like a blind date?" Sango asked him.

"Exactly."

"I don't know, Houshi-kun, InuYasha doesn't seem like one to go on a blind date," Sango said, skeptically.

"If there's something in it for him, then he will," Miroku said. "And I have just the thing!"

"What?" Sango asked, slightly amused at this point.

"A redeemable coupon for two months worth of ramen at Ramen World." Sango tried not to laugh, but the image of InuYasha cramming as many ramen cups down his throat as fast as he could replayed over and over again in her mind.

"That's…that's just…too…too…funny!" she said, in between laughter. "Where did you get that?"

"You'd be surprised what you can find on E-Bay if you look," he said.

"You mean you actually looked something like that up on E-Bay?" Sango asked him. "Was this prank premeditated?"

"Actually I've had this coupon for a year now. I've been trying to figure out what to do with it, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to use it," he said, causing Sango to burst out into laughter again.

"Don't you think it might have…umm…I don't know…expired?" she said.

"InuYasha doesn't know that."

"He'll kill you when he finds out."

"That's why I have a one-way only flight ticket to Hawaii." Once again, Sango went into a fit of giggles.

"I don't know if I want to get involved in this," she told him.

"But I need you to talk to Kagome for me. She'll be suspicious if I talk her into it," Miroku said. Sango realized that he did have a point. Kagome did trust her more than she trusted the pervert.

"All right, I'll do it. But if I get injured in the process, it's your head that's going to pay the price," she warned him.

"Thank you, Sango-chan," he said. "I'll see if I can get you a ticket to Hawaii too, that way we can enjoy it together!"

"Goodbye, Houshi-kun," Sango said, rather forcefully.

"Bye, Sango-chan! Tell Kagome-san that she'll meet him on Saturday at Botan's Diner at eight o'clock," he said, hanging up before Sango could ask him where that was. She stared at the phone for about a minute, apprehensive and yet contemplating at the same time.

"If I go through with this, Kagome-chan is going to hate me forever," she thought aloud. "But she's been a little depressed ever since she found out about the Sacred Jewel. This will cheer her up if not for a little bit." With that, she dialed Kagome's number. Two rings later, Sango heard the familiar voice of Sota answer the phone.

"Hello, Higurashi residence," he said, with practiced ease.

"Hi, Sota-chan. Is Kagome-chan around? It's Sango," she replied.

"Oh, hi Sango-san!" Sota said. "She's upstairs complaining about having to take archery lessons." Sango raised an eyebrow.

"Kagome-chan's taking…archery lessons again?" she asked. Sango also knew about Kagome's bad aim.

"Yeah, and I don't want to be around when she starts shooting those arrows," he said. "Would you like me to get her?"

"Yes, please."

"One minute." Sango assumed he had run upstairs to get Kagome and took that time to try to formulate a plan to make Kagome believe her white lie.

"Sango-chan?" Kagome's voice came through the phone. "What's up?"

"You know those online dating things?" Sango asked her.

"Yeah. Don't tell me you actually went for one of those!" Kagome said, shocked. Sango never dated, especially online, with 'all those perverts hanging around.'

"Actually, I didn't," Sango said, knowing the eruption that was soon to take place and braced herself for it.

"Then why did you ask…Sango-chan, you didn't!" Kagome said, horrified.

"Well, you seemed depressed so I thought you would jump at the chance to get out and have a go out with somebody new," Sango said, trying to keep it from escalating into a large-scale argument.

"You are such a hypocrite, you know. What if he doesn't like me?" Kagome asked her, glaring at the wall as if it were her best friend that she was currently fuming at.

"I told him that you were too shy to talk to him yourself, and that you would like to meet him at Botan's Diner on Saturday at eight o'clock." Sango heard the sigh of exasperation on the other end.

"Sango-chan…can't you go instead of me?" Kagome asked her.

"Nope, sorry. I already told him what you looked like, and he really wants to meet you," Sango replied back. _"If only you knew,"_ she thought to herself. There was silence on Kagome's end and Sango wondered briefly if she had hung up.

"Fine, but if the gut turns out to be some kind of weirdo, I'll get even with you," Kagome warned her. Sango gave a little cheer.

"So tomorrow after school we'll go shopping and find you something to wear!" Sango said.

"Yeah, sure," was the half-hearted reply from Kagome.

"I have to go know, okay? Bye Kagome-chan! See you at school tomorrow!" With that, Sango hung up, leaving Kagome staring at the phone with dismay.

Meanwhile, Miroku was having the same amount of luck with his victim.

"There is no way in hell that I'm going to go on some stupid blind date!" InuYasha e-mailed Miroku. Miroku sighed and typed a response.

"But she wants to meet you!"

"I don't want to meet her!"

"You can't tell a girl that, you'll crush her feelings!"

"And I care?"

Miroku sighed. He hoped Sango was having an easier time than he was. "Just for one date. Then you'll never have to see her again," he wrote.

"And what makes you so sure about that?" came the response.

"Because after your date, I'll come in and I'll make her forget all about you." Well that was a big lie, but Miroku couldn't help it.

"No."

"Would you do it for something?" Miroku asked him.

"What is this something Miroku, I don't trust you," InuYasha replied back.

"Oh, just a coupon for all the ramen you could eat in Ramen World, but you wouldn't be interested in it," Miroku wrote, knowing what would come next.

"For how long."

"A month," Miroku wrote, examining the little orange paper. He noticed that at the bottom it said it had expired December 1, 2003. He grabbed a marker and blotted it out.

"Fine, I'll do it," InuYasha wrote back. Miroku smiled. It was exactly like he had planned.

"Okay, you'll meet her at eight o'clock on Saturday at Botan's Diner. Is that alright?" Miroku never found out because the next message he received read:

"Unless the two of you want to pay the next phone bill, this conversation is over."

Miroku had to grin. InuYasha had been using his cell phone to instant message him, and from he looks of it, his brother was not happy about it. It didn't matter. The stage was set, and all that was left to do was to watch the unwilling actors perform in a front row seat.

School went by too quickly for both InuYasha and Kagome's preferences on Friday, but neither would say what was wrong. Of course, everyone could tell they were both anxious, especially when InuYasha sent Koga flying into the wall at lunch. Miroku and Sango were just glad to get out of there without being found out.

"We have to leave early today, I hope you don't mind," Sango said, as she pulled Kagome out of school when the final bell rang.

"What's your hurry," InuYasha snapped, foul-tempered.

"It's girl's night out tonight," Sango said, making up a quick lie on the spot. "No boys allowed."

"Feh. I wouldn't want to go anyway," he said. "Besides, Miroku wants to see something on the Internet since his computer's broken." That too was a lie, but InuYasha wasn't about to admit to anyone that Miroku was going to help him find something to where on his blind date. Miroku knew that if left up to InuYasha, he would go looking like a bum.

"Well, that's settled," Miroku said. "I'll see you ladies Monday then." With that he and InuYasha left, leaving Kagome and Sango to walk home together.

In about an hour-and-a-half, Kagome found herself feeling completely out of place in a store called Kang-Lin.

"Sango-chan! This place looks expensive!" Kagome whispered to her.

"Yeah, I know. It is," Sango said. She was too busy trying to find someone in the store.

"I can't buy something in here! I don't have enough money!" Kagome complained.

"Don't worry," Sango reassured her. "I know someone who works here. Our families are really close and we always get discounts here. Ah! Nuriko!" Sango called out and waved to someone. A very pretty young woman came forward with long black hair smiling happily at Sango.

"Sango! I'd never thought I'd live to see the day that you would come into this store!" she said, playfully teasing Sango.

"I'm not here for me, Nuriko," Sango said. "You see my friend has a blind date, and she needs something nice to where." Nuriko looked at Kagome.

"You brought her to the right place. Looking at her right now, I'd say she'd scare the guy so much he'd leave at the first sight of her," she said, making Kagome bristle with anger.

"Now, now, Nuriko. Don't tease her. She'll take it the wrong way. Kagome-chan, this is Korin Nuriko. Nuriko, this is Higurashi Kagome. Nuriko was only joking, right?" Sango explained.

"Maybe," came the sniffed reply. "So what do you want?"

"I don't know," Kagome said, still a bit angry.

"Well then, we'll just have to look around," Nuriko said, and with surprising strength, dragged Kagome around the store, stopping to pick out a few items from racks until they stopped at the dressing rooms. "I want you to go in there and try on one outfit at a time and come out to show us," she said.

"Wouldn't it be easier if you just went in with me?" Kagome asked, trying to get some feeling back into her arm. Nuriko laughed. "What's so funny?"

"I can't go in there. I'll be fired!" Nuriko said. Kagome looked at Sango for help.

"Kagome-chan, Nuriko is a man," Sango explained, enjoying the look of total confusion that passed over Kagome's face, and then to be replaced with a slight look of disbelief. "Go try on the outfits, we don't have all day," Sango said, looking at her watch.

"Okay," was all Kagome could say, her brain was in a mental fog.

"Seriously, Nuriko. I thought you were going to cut your hair," Sango said to him, a bit reproachfully.

"I meant to, but when I got there, I decided I didn't want to anymore," Nuriko said laughing. "Besides, Miaka likes it this way."

It took another hour and about two-dozen outfits before both Nuriko and Sango were satisfied with the way Kagome looked. Her outfit consisted of a light blue spaghetti-strapped shirt with silver inlay and a pair of black Capri's with the same silver design in them. Casual yet elegant.

"Sango-chan…how am I going to pay for this?" Kagome asked her. She had seen the price tags on them. They were a hefty amount of yen each. Sango only smiled.

"Consider them my gift to you for going through with this," she said.

"I couldn't," Kagome protested. Sango shrugged.

"I told you I could get a discount. If it's really bothering you, then you can teat me to something to eat, I'm starving!" As if to punctuate Sango's remark, Kagome's stomach growled.

"Fair enough," Kagome said.

"You know, I could get into a lot of trouble by not making you pay the full price," Nuriko informed the two.

"You always give my family a discount and you've never gotten caught then!" Sango told him. Nuriko laughed.

"I was kidding, kidding. Here. Now get lost before the manager comes and yells at me."

Miroku also found it very hard to find an outfit for InuYasha. Most, if not all of the clothes in his closet were either black or red, and not were the slightest bit dressy.

"Don't you have any other colors," he asked InuYasha in exasperation,

"Nope," came the sullen, if not slightly sarcastic return.

"No…happy colors?"

"No!" It came out as a growl.

"You don't have to get all huffy about it, I was just asking," Miroku snapped, trying to find something that wasn't wrinkled.

"What are you looking for in there?" InuYasha asked him.

"Mothballs."

"Very funny."

"That's all I've found so far."

"Shut up."

"You can help, you know."

"You said I couldn't." Miroku emerged briefly from the closet.

"No, I said you couldn't wear anything that makes you look like a bum," he corrected. InuYasha shrugged and turned away.

"Hurry up," he snapped.

"We could always steal one of your brother's shirts…" Miroku trailed off because the look on InuYasha's face suggested murder, and he had the slight suspicion that he would be the only casualty. "Relax, I was only kidding. I guess you could wear all black if you have to."

"Feh." He was obviously still annoyed at Miroku.

"If you don't cooperate, you won't get your ramen."

"…"

"I thought so."

After another twenty minutes of arguing and some name-calling, they both agreed on a pair of slim black pants, which Miroku made InuYasha take the chains off, and a slightly too small black tee, which InuYasha didn't want to wear, but Miroku used the ramen threat again.

So naturally, Saturday was a very stressful day for the two unwilling and unknowing participants.

"I'm telling you Sango-chan, the look on InuYasha's face is going to be priceless," Miroku said to her, the two of them already staking out the diner, and Miroku with his camera phone.

"Are you sure we should be here?" Sango asked, more worried than amused. "What if they see us? We'll be killed!"

"But I wanna see their faces," Miroku whined. Sango sighed.

"If this turns ugly, don't think I'm going to bail you out," she warned him. "I'm a fast runner. I'll leave you behind." This was not entirely true, Sango was very loyal to her friends, but she would never let Miroku know that she considered him one. He opened his mouth to say something, but he caught sight of Kagome before he could say anything.

"Ah, there's the lovely Kagome-san," he said. "Now all we need is her knight in his shining black armor."

"Her what?" Sango asked.

"InuYasha refused to wear anything slightly colorful, except if it was red, and we couldn't find any red shirt that was appropriate for the occasion," he explained. "And there's InuYasha, the baka, he came in through the back."

"I already told the waitress at the front that table four was reserved," Sango said, referring to the overly chipper blue-haired woman that was taking reservations and seating. Kagome walked up to her, and was shown to table four. InuYasha followed suit after a few minutes of fruitless searching and was also shown to table four.

"And now to watch the play unfold," Miroku said, positioning his cell while Sango shook her head.

InuYasha made his way over to where that weird blue-haired girl, Botan, as the nametag said, had shown him. He was a little surprised to see a young woman with long raven black hair sitting there, a menu partially covering her face. Her scent was familiar, and he wondered briefly if she was someone who went to his school.

"Hey," he said, a little hesitantly. She looked up and stared at him with light brown eyes, framed by hair. She was very pretty. And very familiar…recognition suddenly flared in her eyes, followed by confusion and then anger. She flew up.

"InuYasha?" she squawked at the same time InuYasha yelled, "Kagome!" They both stared at each other.

The voice that had spoken to Kagome sounded familiar to her, but she wasn't expecting to see gold eyes staring back at her when she looked. At first, she thought it was a mistake, but then realized that the odds of the two of them running into the same place where Sango had told her to meet her blind date… _"Oh, so that's how she wants to play, huh?"_ she thought angrily, as she jumped up.

"What are you doing here," she asked him, trying to keep the anger out of her voice, lest he think that she was mad at him.

"I should be asking the you the same question," he replied, the anger in his voice evident. He wasn't angry with her, he was just confused, and that made him agitated.

"Well I'm sorry!" Kagome snapped. "How was I supposed to know you were going to be here too? Sango told me I was going on some blind date thanks to the wonders of the Internet!"

"Sango told you that you were going on a blind date?" InuYasha asked, his mind starting to piece together what had happened.

"Yeah, why?" she asked, when she saw that he knew something.

"That damned Miroku said the same thing to me!"

"He did?"

"Yeah."

"We've been had, haven't we," Kagome said, bursting out into snickers about their stupidity.

"Yeah, we where had, and I'm going to have my revenge!" InuYasha said as he walked to a particularly large fern whose leaves were shaking conspicuously.

"Don't," Kagome said, making him turn around and stare at her. "We'll get back at them, we'll just have to make it better than theirs." InuYasha shrugged.

"You want to go? That Botan thing said that the table had been already paid for," InuYasha asked, jerking his head towards the door.

"And I wasted all that money on this outfit to wear it for an hour," Kagome said, a little said, but jokingly nonetheless.

"You can wear it again. When we have revenge on our so-called friends," he said, rolling his eyes. "Come on, I'll take you home. I drove here."

The drive to Kagome's house was actually quite pleasant, with the two of them laughing and talking about different ways to extract the coming and deserving revenge on Sango and Miroku. For Kagome's taste, it ended all too soon, as InuYasha pulled up to her house.

"You can leave me off here," she said, but InuYasha insisted that he walk her up the stairs, lest she fall down and hurt herself, as the stairs were many.

"And you climb up these every single damn day!" he asked her, out of breath when they reached the top.

"Yep!" she said with a smile. "Thank you for driving me home," she said, suddenly very embarrassed. He looked away.

"You're welcome," he said, as if he was not used to saying those two words together. _"What the hell…it sounds as if we actually went on a real date!"_ He turned red at that thought. He turned and leaned over to say goodnight to her, just as she did, and for one fleeting second in time, their lips brushed against each other. Naturally, the two of them jumped away from each other, and as each of their faces burned bright red, they looked everywhere except at each other. Finally they mumbled an incoherent "Goodnight" and "See you in school," before Kagome returned to the sanctuary of her home and InuYasha to his car, each wondering what exactly had just happened.

………………………………………………………………………

I…Hate…Writing…Fluff! The long delay for this chapter was all due to those damn last sentences! I just couldn't write them! Anyway…Sango and Miroku fluff in the next chapter! Then back to the serious stuff.


	7. Revenge Is Always The Sweetest

Chapter 7: Revenge Is Always The Sweetest

Yami396

Last chapter was InuYasha/Kagome fluff, so it's only fair that Miroku/Sango fluff comes next.

Disclaimer: I don't InuYasha. You should all realize this by now.

………………………………………………………………………………...

Naturally, after that little 'incident' outside, Kagome stood in her kitchen, slightly dazed, and very confused.

_"What was that?"_ she asked herself. _"Was I just kissed?"_

_"Yes, yes you were," _the little voice in her head returned.

_"Can you count that as a kiss? It was an accident," _Kagome thought.

_"Oh come on!"_ The voice became indignant. _"You know you liked it!" _Kagome blushed.

_"I did not!"_ she thought, the blush already working its way down her neck.

_"Whatever you say,"_ the voice said, and then dissipated back into the recesses of her mind. Kagome shook her head a few times. First things first, she would have to give Sango a piece of her mind for her little fiasco.

"Earth to Kagome!" Sota said suddenly, exercising his annoying habit of breaking up Kagome's thoughts. "You've been standing there for five minutes! Sango's on the phone right now, she wants to talk to you!" he said as he tossed her the phone.

"Hello?" Kagome asked, trying to make her voice sound light.

"Have a nice time tonight?" Sango asked, trying to keep the laughter out of her voice.

"Yes I did," Kagome answered, hoping that Sango couldn't hear her clenching her teeth. A giggle escaped Sango.

"Did you like your blind date?" Sango asked again, fighting back peals of laughter. By this time, Kagome had begun to lose her anger and instead found it replaced with humor as well.

"Oh, he was such a gentleman," she replied, in exaggerated falseness. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. Sango dissolved into laughter, and soon enough, Kagome joined her. After five minutes of intense giggling, Kagome recovered enough to ask, "Did Miroku-kun help you with this?"

"Yep!"

"So it's a conspiracy!"

Laughter. Then, "Yeah it is!"

"How does that line go again? With friends like these…what was the last part?" More laughter from Sango's end reached Kagome's ear, and she smiled. With a little luck, Sango would forget about her little prank, and then it would be time for revenge.

"I have to go Kagome-chan," Sango said. "Call me tomorrow!" They hung up. Kagome looked at the phone for a few minutes and then at the clock at the wall. Half an hour had passed already. That would have given InuYasha enough time to get home. Kagome looked around to make sure no one, especially Sota, saw her and began to flip through the yellow pages to find InuYasha's number.

There were about twenty Toka's in Tokyo. Kagome gaped at the page in dismay. She would be up all night looking for his number! The first three were wrong numbers, and the fourth one didn't answer the phone. Kagome vowed that if the next one was wrong, she would give up until morning. She dialed the number. A very familiar voice answered on the second ring.

"Hello?" The speaker sounded bored.

"Sensei!" Kagome yelled in shock. _"Well at least I got the right number,"_ she thought. There was silence on the other end of the line.

"I don't take private calls, Higurashi," he said finally, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Kagome yelled, while the little voice in her head returned with the commentary of, _"Ewwwwwwwwwww!" _"I wanted to talk to InuYasha! Kun!" she added at the end, remembering her manners. There was more silence, some shuffling like noises, and then something that sounded suspiciously like 'your human wench.'

_"So that's where he gets it from,"_ Kagome thought. InuYasha's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"What do you want?" he asked gruffly. Kagome frowned at his tone of voice.

"To ask about your plan of revenge," Kagome said.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I want to," Kagome stated matter-of-fact.

"I'll just beat up the stupid pervert," InuYasha said, as if it were obvious. Kagome sighed.

"You're so violent," Kagome told him. "You know," she started, a plan forming in her head. "They way what goes around, comes around right?"

"Yeah," InuYasha said, wondering what exactly Kagome had in mind. "What of it?"

"Why don't we set Sango-chan and Miroku-kun up?"

"Stupid. They'll know if we do the same thing to them," InuYasha said.

"There's a new store opening up in a week at the mall," Kagome said. InuYasha stared at the phone.

"So?" he asked, confused.

"Well, we can have them meet up there!"

"Why would they want to go to a store that hasn't even opened yet?"

"Let me finish!" InuYasha could almost hear Kagome's pout through the phone. "You can tell Miroku-kun it's one store and I'll tell Sango-chan it's something else, and then the two of them can meet up!"

"And knowing that pervert," InuYasha said, beginning to understand. "He won't let her leave." Kagome nodded.

"Exactly! And they won't suspect a thing!" Kagome finished triumphantly. Her plan was foolproof. "You talk to Miroku-kun and I'll talk to Sango-chan, okay?"

"Yeah whatever," he said. "Next time you call, call this number." Kagome quickly wrote down the number he gave her.

"Why?"

"So I don't have to hear that bastard after I get off the phone," he answered. He hung up before Kagome could ask anything else. It made her a bit sad that InuYasha seemed to hate his brother so much, even if they were only half-brothers.

After Saturday, life returned to a somewhat normal routine for Kagome. InuYasha gave her a ride to school, she ignored Ayame's stupidity and learned absolutely nothing in geometry, dressed quickly in gym to avoid Shigure's perverseness, tried to keep InuYasha from killing Koga at lunch, and then tried not to fail the rest of her classes. After school, InuYasha drove her, Sango, and Miroku home, and Kagome trained for a while, did her homework, and then slept from exhaustion.

Training was difficult. Midoriko made it very clear that she expected a lot from Kagome.

"You're not holding the bow right," Midoriko told her. She would not let Kagome progress any farther in training until Kagome was able to shoot an arrow decently. "Hold it up higher." Kagome gritted her teeth.

"Midoriko-sensei, I can't feel my arms," Kagome said. They had been practicing for an hour and a half, with Kagome making no progress. In fact, Kagome had been at a standstill for five days with archery. "Can't we stop now?"

"Not until you hit the inner circle of the target," Midoriko said firmly.

"But that's impossible!" Kagome moaned. "I can't do it!"

"It's not that you can't do it. It's that you're unwilling to try," Midoriko countered. "Now hold the bow a little higher and aim for the mark!" Kagome sighed. She was beginning to tire of this very quickly. She fired the arrow. It shot forward for a few feet, and then it dropped to the ground a few inches away from the target. Kagome moaned in frustration.

"You see," Kagome said.

"Channel those feelings into the arrow and you might be able to hit it," Midoriko said. She could sense something about Kagome that she hadn't sensed for years. She had noticed that whenever Kagome's emotions reached a high point, her aura would begin to grow around her. Midoriko was a bit discerned. Kagome had great potential, which could possibly be good, and which would inevitably cause problems later on.

"I hate this," Kagome mumbled under her breath as she notched another arrow. "I wish I could live a normal life!" Kagome couldn't help but a feel angry about her present situation. She was cut off from all her friends, she was constantly exhausted, and she had no time to herself anymore. As the feelings of animosity grew within her, Kagome fired the arrow.

It didn't hit the target. It decimated it instead. Even Midoriko wasn't prepared for that. Her eyes widened, and she showed shock for the first time in years. Never, had she ever trained a priestess in waiting who could fire a Sacred Arrow in the first five days of training. Especially at the tender age of eighteen.

"How did I do that?" Kagome asked, fear hinting through her voice, and snapping Midoriko out of her thoughts.

"I truthfully don't know," Midoriko answered. "All I can tell you is that you just fired a Sacred Arrow."

"That was a Sacred Arrow?"

"Yes."

"Are they that powerful?" Midoriko thought for a moment.

"It depends. You emotions were being channeled, so the stronger your emotions are, the stronger the arrow is," she said, slightly disturbed. "I think that's enough for today, Kagome-san. I need to talk to your mother." Kagome looked at her. Midoriko seemed agitated about something. Had she done something wrong?

"She's very powerful," Midoriko told Kagome's mother at the kitchen table. Midoriko's tea sat on the table, untouched, the steam becoming evanescent.

"You sound upset about it," she replied back. Midoriko sighed and rested her chin in her hands.

"Saiya, how old were you when you fired you first Sacred Arrow," Midoriko asked. Saiya thought for a minute.

"Twenty-eight," she said at last. "Why do you ask?"

"Kagome's only eighteen and she can already fire a Sacred Arrow with enough force to mortally wound a powerful demon," Midoriko said with a sigh.

"Isn't that good?" Saiya asked, concerned, putting down her tea.

"It will attract demons' attentions," Midoriko said at length. "Her aura is hard to miss."

"But they can't do anything. They don't know that the Shikon No Tama even exists," Saiya said, her worry growing. Midoriko's eyes became shadowed.

"There's rumor going around that a demon does know about it," she said darkly, causing Saiya to gasp.

"Who?"

"We don't know. He calls himself Naraku," Midoriko said. "He's a half-demon of the worst kind. No one even knows what he looks like."

"You don't know what he looks like?" Saiya asked incredulously. Midoriko smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"He wears a baboon pelt all the time. All I know is that he has red eyes. And he has an accomplice," she finished.

"Do you know who the accomplice is?"

"No idea. Only that it's a woman."

"Is Kagome in danger?"

"If he becomes alerted to her presence, yes," Midoriko said, her eyes becoming shadowed again.

"Should we tell her?"

"Why make her worry? She doesn't deserve it. We'll keep searching for him," Midoriko said, knowing all to well the enormous weight that Kagome was carrying on her shoulders. Saiya didn't look convinced, but a cool look from Midoriko told her that arguing was pointless. And the subject of their conversation, Kagome, remained blissfully unaware of how much danger she was truly in.

Of course, Kagome couldn't deny that strange things were happening. Being as most of her friends were demons, or had demon blood, or were specially trained to notice these kinds of things, Kagome couldn't hide the fact that her aura was becoming that of a priestess.

"Why are you examining me," she asked InuYasha with a deadpan look.

"You're different," InuYasha said. They were in geometry class, and as usual, were not paying strict attention to their teacher, who happened to be flaunting around the room, telling the story of how he kidnapped the school mascot for the up most time. Most of the class had given up, and had taken advantage of forty minutes of extra sleep.

"What do you mean I'm different," Kagome asked him, annoyed. She was starting to panic, and she couldn't tell InuYasha that she was in training to become a priestess. It would raise too many questions.

"Something about you has changed," he said. He too was annoyed. Besides the fact that he could barely look her in the face because of their accidental 'kiss,' he hated it when he couldn't figure something out.

"You're imagining things," Sango said, coming to her friend's defense. Since she was the only outside person who knew of the jewel's existence, Sango also considered herself a sort of protector too.

"What do you know," InuYasha snapped.

"Now InuYasha. You need to learn to keep your temper," Miroku chided him.

"You shut up. You're lucky I haven't killed you yet for your little stunt," InuYasha pointed an accusing finger at him.

"You're still mad about the blind date thing?" Miroku asked him. "You need to learn to forgive and to forget."

"I'm not mad about that," InuYasha snapped. "That stupid coupon you gave me was fake!" Sango giggled. Kagome looked confused.

"What coupon?" she asked.

"It was InuYasha's reward for going on a blind date," Miroku explained.

"So you gave him a fake coupon?" Kagome asked.

"No, I gave him an expired one." Kagome giggled. InuYasha glared at them.

"Stupid pervert," he grumbled.

"The cashier thought you were the stupid one," Miroku remarked. "You were the one who came in demanding your free ramen with an expired coupon." Kagome's giggles turned into full-blown laughter, which was hidden behind Ayame's own insufferable laughter.

"You're an idiot," she remarked to InuYasha. He refused to talk to her until lunch.

"Kagome, do you have any sweets?" Shippo asked her at said time.

"No, I forgot to bring some. I'm sorry Shippo-chan," Kagome smiled apologetically.

"It's okay. It's not your…" Shippo broke off, looking tense. "Quick hide me!" he yelled as he ducked under the table.

"What?" Kagome asked. The answer came soon enough.

"Have you seen Shippo-san," a young girl said. She was relatively younger than those at the table, probably only a first year. She had black hair pulled into two buns and reddish-brown eyes. She wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but she was cute.

"And who are you?" InuYasha asked rudely. She glared at him.

"I'm Kamijyo Souten. One of the last of the Thunder Demon Tribe," she said proudly.

"Your Hiten and Manten's little sister, aren't you?" Sango asked. She nodded.

"Why are you looking for Shippo-chan?" Kagome asked her.

"He's supposed to take me out to dinner tonight, but I haven't seen him all day," she said. InuYasha rolled his eyes.

"I saw him in the library," he said. Souten flashed him a smile and then took off in the direction of the library.

"Thanks, InuYasha," Shippo said when he deemed it safe enough to crawl out from under the table.

"Now you owe me one runt," InuYasha said. Shippo was about to make an angry retort, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Sango threw her water bottle at Miroku.

"Pervert!" she yelled.

"It's the hand, not me!" Miroku protested, rubbing his nose. "I keep telling you it's possessed!"

"They have so much energy," Ayame (the red-haired one) said almost wistfully. "I wish I could be that forward."

"You should tell Hikato-kun how you feel," Kagome ventured. Ayame and Kagome had finally gotten over their misunderstanding about Koga. At first, Ayame was reluctant to believe that Kagome did not enjoy Koga's repeated attempts of making her his girlfriend, and it wasn't until Kagome figured out that Ayame was in love with him, that they were able to clear the whole mess up and make amends.

"I can't. He won't listen. He's so stubborn sometimes," she said, putting for effect. Kagome laughed.

_"My life is somewhat normal,"_ she thought, as the bell rang.

Since neither Ayame nor Shippo had commented on her being 'strange,' Kagome thought she had managed to escape from it for the rest of the day. She was partly right; no one seemed to notice anything until she got to her history class. All through class, Kagome could feel Sesshoumaru watching her. She hadn't caught him staring at her yet, he was too quick, but every time she went back to her reading, she could feel him staring at her, as if trying to place what exactly was going on. It made her very, very nervous. She sighed in relief when the bell rang.

"Oh, you're so lucky Kagome!" Eri squealed as they walked out.

"What for?" Kagome asked, snapping out of her prayer of thanks.

"Toka-sensei was staring straight at you the whole class!" Ayumi piped up. InuYasha choked on the water that he was drinking. Kagome moaned and banged her head against her locker.

_"So much for being normal,_" she thought. Sango smiled in pity. She knew exactly why Kagome had attracted his attention. Her aura was unavoidable. And yet, Kagome could say nothing in her defense.

When Kagome arrived home, her mother informed her that Midoriko was busy and that she would be back in a few days. Kagome took this rare opportunity to call Sango.

"Sango-chan!" she exclaimed when her friend answered the phone. "Did you hear about the new store that's opening up in the mall?"

"No," Sango said, only mildly interested.

"Yeah, they sell a lot of sports stuff and karate things," Kagome said, playing to Sango's preferences. She could almost hear Sango perk up.

"They sell karate equipment?" Sango asked, excitement creeping into her voice. Kagome grinned wickedly.

"Yep! It's opening this Friday! And they're having a sale that day!"

"Count me in! Do you want to go with me?"

"I can't. I have to go shopping with my mom for Sota." That was a lie. Kagome's Friday was free from everything.

"Oh that's too bad. Do you want me to get you anything?" Sango asked.

"No. Listen, I have to go. Sota needs help on his homework," Kagome lied again. They hung up. Kagome jumped around the stair landing for a little out of sheer joy, much to the disbelief of her brother. Then she called InuYasha.

"What?" was how he answered the phone.

"You have no manners," she greeted him.

"Why are you calling me," InuYasha asked.

"I got Sango to go the mall. I told her a karate store was opening up. She's going on Friday," she informed him. It took several minutes for InuYasha to figure out what she was talking about. Then he remembered Miroku and Sango's little joke.

"Okay, I'll get Miroku to go too. Let me call him now," and with that he hung up. Kagome sighed. Even after they had gone on a date, he still acted as though…Kagome shook her head, trying to block out the events of that confusing night.

"Miroku, did you hear about that new place at the mall?" InuYasha asked him.

"No, what about it?" Miroku replied. He was busy reading a swimsuit magazine. Well, not exactly reading, more like looking at it.

"It's a swimsuit modeling place," InuYasha said tactfully. He heard Miroku put down his magazine.

"Really?" he asked, becoming interested.

"Yeah, they're looking for judges."

"Is that so?" InuYasha tried not to snort.

"It opens this Friday. You need to be one of the first twenty people in line to be eligible," InuYasha told him. "I'm not coming with you, so don't ask. I'll give you a map."

"You're such a good friend," Miroku said, forgetting that it was the middle of September, and that no swimsuit-modeling agency would open in a mall.

So both Miroku and Sango were excited Friday, and both rushed out after school for personal reasons that neither would share.

"You want to follow them?" InuYasha asked Kagome. "They followed us." Kagome nodded. She had already planned to follow them, and having InuYasha along was an added bonus, though Kagome wouldn't admit it to herself. Once in his car, however, an uncomfortable silence over them that dampened their fun. Kagome didn't know what to say, and she gave a start when InuYasha spoke. "Those friends of yours think my brother's interested in you." It was something that had bothered them since they had said that, and repeated questioning hadn't helped matters. He knew his brother's sudden interest in her came from the fact that there was something different about Kagome's aura and nothing else, he had even gone as far as to tell InuYasha to watch her. But it made him upset that others would misinterpret it, especially to the extent that her friends had taken it.

"Don't mind them, they're crazy," Kagome said. "They like to exaggerate things and turn things into something from a romance novel." InuYasha snorted.

"It would be more like a horror novel if you ask me," he said, watching Kagome shake with suppressed laughter out of the corner of his eyes.

"You're mean," Kagome, teased him. She felt better now, that InuYasha was joking about it. He didn't realize the true seriousness of the issue, but Kagome had the feeling that he would probably shrug it off even if she told everything. She could tell him one thing though. "I'm taking archery lessons," she told him.

"So?"

"That's why I'm 'different,'" she explained. "Frustration must be swirling all around me constantly. InuYasha grinned.

"Frustration is always swirling around you, wench," he said, adding the insult for fun. Kagome pulled a face at him.

"If you weren't driving me to the mall, I'd tell you to let me out of the car," she said, grinning too to show InuYasha that she was only kidding. She knew that he was also joking; he had long grown out of the habit of calling her wench to make her angry. "We're here. Let's go," Kagome said, jumping out of the car, and sprinted to the entrance.

Miroku had only arrived five minutes ago, but he was already lost. He tried to follow InuYasha's map, but to follow the map meant to find the directory board, hence his confusion. There was something else that was bothering him too. He had the slightest feeling that he was being tricked. He looked at the map again.

"Turn left when you get to the directory board," it read. "In case you don't know, your left hand is the one on the other side of your writing hand." Miroku had to smile. InuYasha could be quite the handful when he wanted to be. The map went on. "When you pass that Victoria's Closet thing or whatever it's called, make a right. That's your writing hand's side. Then keep going straight until you see that hentai manga store. It should be right next to it." Miroku followed the direction carefully, but when he got to the hentai manga store, he didn't see any thing that resembled a swimsuit-modeling agency. He checked the directions again, but couldn't find anything wrong with them. He wondered if there were two hentai manga stores and that he had gone to the wrong one. He was so intent on finding it that he didn't see the person behind him until she bumped right into him.

"I'm sorry," Sango said, as she crashed into the person walking in front of her. She had been searching the mall for half and hour trying to find the store that Kagome had told her about, and frustration was starting to set in, causing her to be oblivious to the world around her.

"Sango-chan, is that you?" the person asked her. She looked up in surprise. Only one man her age ever dared to call her 'Sango-chan.'

"Houshi-kun? What are you doing here?" she asked him in surprise.

"I was looking for a store that InuYasha said was around here." That was a lie, but Miroku was sure that Sango would find no humor in his looking for a swimsuit-modeling agency.

"Really? I was looking for a store that Kagome-chan said was here!" They both stared at each other as a switch in their brains clicked.

"Clever, they were very clever," Miroku said, shaking his head. Sango laughed.

"We should have known they would want revenge," she said. "We thought we were safe."

"Since we're here, and this store that we're looking for probably doesn't exist, do you want to get something to eat?" He didn't wait for an answer; he just took Sango's arm and steered to a restaurant.

"Houshi-kun!" Sango protested. "Let me go!"

"You don't want to eat with me? I might get lost," Miroku said. Sango sighed. She knew he had a point, and she knew when she was defeated, so she gave up struggling and told him he was going the wrong way.

"You know Sango-chan," he said, once they were seated. "You could call me by my first name." Sango blushed and ducked her head, mumbling something unintelligible. "You're mumbling Sango-chan," Miroku teased her.

"Don't call me Sango-chan," she said in false agitation. She didn't mind hearing him cal her that, she quite liked it in actuality. She was just afraid. Afraid that if she opened her heart to him, he would break it. She knew that he was a bit of playboy, and she couldn't tell if he could be faithful to only one woman.

"What's the matter?" Miroku asked her concerned. He had noticed the shadows that had passed across her face. "Did I do something?"

"No. You didn't do anything," Sango said quickly.

"So you don't mind me calling you Sango-chan then," he said. When she looked at him confused, he explained. "I called you Sango-chan, then you got upset, so I thought it was because you didn't want me to call you that, but now you just said that I didn't do anything, so therefore, you don't mind me calling you that," he finished pointedly. Sango stared at him in shock.

"You really are an idiot," she said, grinning despite herself.

"You know, Sango-chan," Miroku started. "You're very pretty when you smile like that. You should do it more often." Sango blushed. She wanted to say something, but her mind had gone into a blank haze.

"I…" she couldn't finish. Her mind was not working properly.

"Of course Sango-chan is always very pretty," Miroku continued, either oblivious to or enjoying her deepening blush. "You're pretty even when you throw me down the stairs!" At this, Sango's head snapped up, embarrassment forgotten.

"I only did that once!" she protested. Miroku laughed.

"Fine. You're very pretty even when you slap me," he said.

"You deserved it all those times too," Sango reminded him. He only smiled and reached across the table for her hand, which he pressed to his lips in a gentleman-like manner.

"There are no other hands I'd rather be slapped by than yours, Sango," he said. Sango was so shocked that she reacted with her first initial instinct: slapping him, hard.

"That's it! I'm leaving!" Sango said, quickly getting up and walking away. She heard Miroku get up and run after her. And then she did something that was completely out of character for her in that kind of situation. She smiled. She wouldn't admit it to anyone but herself, but she was beginning to fall for the pervert, and she was falling hard. Just this once, she would forgive him. But just this once.

………………………………………………………………………………...

I'm guessing that this is WAFF so I'm going to say this: I HATE WRITING WAFF! I'm going to have to find a really good WAFF writer and ask them how the hell do they do it! Anyway, sorry for such the long wait. And thank Roku Kyu for this chapter. I was reading the sequel to White Stones In The Moonlight, Hidden Paths On A Cloudcast Night, and I was reminded that I had two fanfictions that needed to be updated…Thank you Roku Kyu for your wonderful e-mail. Unfortunately I don't know about any of the contests either, but I'll keep a lookout! R&R!


	8. Rain

Chapter 8: Rain

Yami 396

Finally, I have time to update! I have way too much stuff to get done. I don't sleep anymore!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha, but I will own Sesshoumaru-sama very soon…And I don't own Alice in Wonderland or any movies mentioned in this chapter.

………………………………………………………………………………...

The rain fell in an icy drove, turning the darkened sky into one silvery sheet. Despite all this, Midoriko pushed herself further. The rain had numbed the pain in her body to the point where she hardly noticed it. Her fingers tentatively touched the small wound above her heart. She winced as a bout of fresh pain washed over her, too sharp to be numbed by something as fleeting as the rain. She kept her hand over the small wound, as if to stop the flow of blood, but there was none.

The wound was not large, nor was it very deep; it was about the size of a marble. She winced as she felt pieces of flesh wither away as she touched it. She would not have long to live if she did not seek medical attention. She smiled grimly. She needed medical attention, but what could she say to the doctor that would explain why she did not bleed? She gave a short burst of hysterical laughter. She had not long to live, but was she truly alive?

Midoriko remembered the day when the Shikon No Tama had been created very well. It was only natural, being as she was the creator. She had not meant to create it. The jewel was the crystallized form of her and a demon's soul, fused together, and forever fighting for dominance. In her time, the days of Feudal Japan, she had been a powerful priestess, deadly to all demons because of her immense purification powers. She was able to not only purify the demon's body, but also its soul, ensuring death. Many demons harbored a great fear and hatred toward her, but she had never imagined that the demons could fuse together with the one man that had feelings for her. It had caught her off guard, and a great battle ensued for seven days and seven nights. On the seventh day, the demon had her in its jaws, ready to move in for the kill. In a last ditch effort; Midoriko had expelled her soul and the demons', which crystallized into the Sacred Jewel. Close to death, and frightened beyond thinking reasonably, she had grabbed the jewel and prayed to live.

In a way, she had gotten her wish. She had been to close to death for the jewel to erase all the damage. She had died, but she kept her physical body and human emotions. She was immortal, in a sense, which turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing. Not living, yet not dead, and doomed to forever walk the face of the planet without ever passing fully into what lay beyond. She had but only weakness: A spot right above her heart, where the scar about the size of a marble stood out like a warning signal. Midoriko had done all in her power to keep it a secret, for she knew that if any demon found out about it, she would die again, but this time, with no Sacred Jewel to stop it.

Though Midoriko was the only protector of the Shikon No Tama who had retained their body, the other protectors were also unable to pass peacefully to the other side. They resided in the world of the living as ghosts, bodiless spirits invisible to humans. They helped Midoriko, gathering information, and acted as informants. When she was attacked, she had been talking to one of the spirits. That was when that wretch of a half-breed, Naraku had lured her away. He knew exactly where to strike, and he wasted no time in disabling her, and then left her to die as the first drops of rain fell.

Midoriko gasped in pain. It was becoming too hard to bear, and she collapsed under a great tree that she did not know how her feet had led her there.

Kagome sighed. She had never liked the rain, and the constant drumming on the windowpane was not helping matters at all. Her teachers had been cruel to her that day, and had assigned a monstrous amount of homework, which included several essays and a few tests that she had not the time to study for. Kagome found it hard to concentrate on anything besides the drumming rain, the lightening and thunder, and her little brother running around in a panic at every noise. One particularly loud clap of thunder sent Sota into a crazed panic and Kagome stood up, ready to catch and pummel her brother until he promised never to bother her again when she was trying to finish her homework. Right when she was about to grab him, the lights flickered once, twice, and then died out completely.

"Sis!" Sota yelled, panic consuming his whole body. Kagome had felt a pang of fear too when the lights had gone out, but being eighteen and an adult, had made her swallow her fear and address the problem.

"Sota. It's nothing. The power just went out," she said, trying to make her voice calm and comforting as her mother's was.

"What if a tree falls on the house?" he asked fearfully. Kagome rolled her eyes, immaturity taking hold again.

"It's not a typhoon, Sota. It's only a thunderstorm!"

"What if the Go-Shinboku falls on the house?"

"It's not going to fall on the house!" Kagome yelled in exasperation.

"The news said the trees could fall!" Sota protested.

"Little trees! Not gigantic, five-hundred year old ones!" It was times like these that made Kagome wish she wasn't an adult. She could have used her mother's comforting words to help Sota calm down. But her mother had gone with her grandfather to some antique store that claimed to have all sorts of mystical objects and talismans that he thought would sell for a lot at the shrine. Her mother had trusted her enough to stay home and watch Sota, despite Kagome's protestations that she had too much work to do for her to baby sit her brother who was too old to be baby sat anyway.

"But if the rain loosens up the soil, then the winds can blow the tree down!" Sota said.

"Fine," Kagome said, her temper reaching the boiling point. "Fine. I'll go outside and check to make sure that the tree isn't about to fall on the house, and if it looks like it is, I'll come and get you and we can run away before we get squashed. Is that okay?" she asked. Sota nodded, and Kagome sighed again.

_"I'm never going to be able to finish my work at this rate,"_ she thought. _"Between the rain and Sota, I'm going to be doing homework until morning! I wish I could be smart like Sango-chan and be able to get all my work done early." _She quickly donned a raincoat and an umbrella and stepped out into the driving rain.

As soon as the first gusty wind hit her face, Kagome knew she shouldn't have gone outside. It was cold, even through her coat, and the strong winds seemed to want to pull her back. Nevertheless, she walked forward to the Go-Shinboku. She didn't have a choice; Sota was watching her from the window to make sure she examined the tree. Kagome wanted to make this as quickly as possible, so she quickly circled the tree, not really paying much attention to anything. She was on her second circle around the tree to assure Sota it wasn't going to fall, when she heard a soft moan. At first, she thought it was only the upper branches swinging in the wind, but the moaning continued even when the wind died down for a few seconds. She panicked, and thought that the tree really was going to fall down on the house, until she saw a dark shape move in the shadow of the tree. Kagome froze. What if it was a wild animal? The rational part of her tried to remind her that there was no way a wild animal could be roaming around Tokyo without people knowing. Her next thought made her blood run cold. What if it was a demon after the Sacred Jewel? The shape moved again, and Kagome thought she heard it say her name.

"…Kagome…" the shape moved towards her. Kagome gasped and stepped back, wishing she had brought a flashlight. The shape spoke again.

"Is that you…Kagome?" it asked. Kagome's eyes widened as she recognized the voice.

"Midoriko-sensei?" she asked incredulously. "What happened?"

"Not here," she said. "Please, can you take me inside?" Kagome wasted no time in taking her trainer's arm and helping her walk to the house, where they were greeted by a very surprised Sota. Kagome shoed him away and helped Midoriko lie down on the couch. Her confusion only grew as she took in her teacher's appearance. Midoriko was pale, her face almost translucent, and the skin was drawn tight over her bones. She seemed to struggle for each breath, and for the first time, Kagome saw weakness in her eyes.

"Midoriko-sensei, what happened to you?" Kagome asked, confusion and fear given away in her voice. Midoriko was silent for a moment, contemplating whether or not she should tell Kagome the truth.

"As I've told you before," she began. "We have to keep the jewel hidden because demons would want it." Kagome nodded, but was still confused. "A demon attacked me. He knew about the jewel." Kagome gasped. She had been careful never to talk about the Sacred Jewel except for that one time she told Sango, whom she knew hadn't told a soul. Midoriko must have sensed Kagome's growing panic, because she quickly said:

"He has Saimyosho to spy for him." Kagome looked even more confused. "Insects of Hell." Kagome accepted this fact solemnly, and Midoriko had to admit, Kagome was taking all of this in as a mature adult and not like a child. She had expected a lot more questions from her student, and the lack thereof pleasantly surprised her.

"Do you want anything?" Kagome asked her. Midoriko shook her head. She was out of danger for the moment, and all she needed was a few days rest to replenish her life force.

"I'm fine. Just let me rest for a little while," she said to Kagome, and then lay back down. Kagome realized that she was sleeping and she quietly existed the room.

"What happened!" Sota asked immediately.

"Nothing that concerns you," Kagome replied pointedly. "Now for your information, I've had enough excitement for one night and I intend to finish my homework now." Naturally, Kagome was curious, but she was too polite to ask Midoriko anything in her condition. She would have to ask her mother, when the time was right.

Kagome did not go to school the next day, as it turned out. When her mother returned home and found out from what Sota could tell her, and what Kagome confirmed, she had rushed to help Midoriko. With her mother devoting all her time to the recuperating Midoriko, Kagome found that she was now in charge of the house. Her mother allowed her to miss the few days of school, and Kagome resigned herself to the fact that she was falling farther and farther behind in her studies. She had no time to call Sango for homework, being as every minute of every day was either devoted to helping her mother care for Midoriko or running around the shrine, making sure everything was clean and that the visitors were greeted polity, and she didn't bother calling InuYasha because she figured he would probably laugh at her, nit to mention they hadn't talked to each other since the stunt they pulled on Sango and Miroku. She was still a bit nervous, and that accidental kiss was still forbidden territory. It was so taboo to Kagome, that she didn't even write down in her journal, only referring to it as an 'accident that happened when she got home.'

"Why does Nee-chan get to stay home all day?" Sota groused one evening as dinner. Midoriko had gradually gotten better in the three-day span of living with the Higurashi's and she had enough strength to join them for dinner.

"You think I'm just lounging around the house all day?" she asked him defensively. "I have work to do, you know!"

"Can't be harder than school."

"You try running around the shrine all day, listening to some of the nonsense these people that come here spew! They come in because their lamp fell down without explanation, and right away, they want an exorcism!" At this time, her grandfather broke in.

"Now you listen here," he said, drawing himself up in his chair. Kagome and Sota rolled their eyes. They knew what was coming. "Poltergeists do exist! It is them that cause the unexplainable!" Kagome cut him off.

"Yeah, and the fact that she had two three-year-olds, a five-year-old, and a six-year-old might have something to do with that poltergeist." Her grandfather deflated a little. Midoriko smiled.

"Now, Kagome, your grandfather does have a point. If demons exist, spirits and other types of ghosts can exist. I do however tend to lean towards your theory of how the lamp broke," she said, retaining her cool composure as the rest of the table fell prey to the peals of laughter at the sight of Kagome's grandfather's outraged look at Midoriko, the one person he would have thought would believe him.

"Kagome, on Monday, you can return to school," her mother told her, as soon as they stopped laughing. "You've already missed so much. Maybe you can call Sango this weekend and ask her for the work you missed." Kagome brightened. She had missed school for three days, and this weekend she had planned to beg Sango for any work she missed and help in it.

The next day, Saturday, Kagome was up bright and early ready to call Sango as soon as she came back from her Karate lesson. The doorbell rang. Figuring it was probably someone who wanted a look around the shrine, Kagome sighed and prepared her normal speech about the history of the shrine mentally. When she opened the door, she was taken completely off guard by InuYasha, who was standing looking out of place with a pile of books held in his hands.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

"You couldn't say good morning?" he countered and Kagome's surprise turned to irritation.

"Good morning. Why are you here?"

"Brought your work for you since you decided to skip off on school. You don't look sick," he said, handing her the massive pile. She nearly dropped them until InuYasha took half the pile back.

"You brought me my books?" she asked, ducking her head and looking at him through her bangs. The butterflies in her stomach that she had not felt since their stunt on Miroku and Sango returned with a vengeance. To her surprise, his face tinted red.

"Well no one else was going to carry them all," he said, trying to keep the tint at merely a tint.

"How did you get my locker open? I didn't even tell Sango my combination." Kagome asked, trying to divert the subject.

"…You might want to get a new lock," he said at length. Kagome's eyes narrowed, all thoughts of butterflies disappearing.

"What did you do to my lock?" she asked, her tone dark. InuYasha mumbled something incoherently under his breath. "What was that?"

"I broke it," he mumbled, ears flattening themselves against his head, ready for the verbal assault.

His ears saved him. As soon as they twitched, Kagome forgot all about being angry and dropped her books, launching herself at his ears with a squeal.

"They're so CUUUTTTEEE!" she yelled, pinning them in three fingers each and gave them a vigorous rubdown.

"C-C-Cut it out wench!" InuYasha yelled, very unaccustomed to having an ear rub. "Get off!" Kagome ignored him, too wrapped up in petting his ears. He fought the urge to give in to it, and instead concentrated on how to disentangle himself from her arms. It worked, and he almost got away, until she started scratching the base of his ears. Then it became a little bit harder to concentrate on getting away, instead of just sitting down right there on the floor and letting pet and scratch away. _"Damn it_!" he yelled mentally._ "Why the hell is she… _A little to the left," he mumbled out loud, and hoped that it was pure coincidence when her hand moved to the left, and that she hadn't heard him. He had to regain control soon or else he would never live it down…_"Did my leg just twitch?" _he asked himself._ "Shikuso, it did! Kuso! Stop now!" _Unfortunately, he had lost all control of that particular limb, and it gave out on him, effectively ending Kagome's petting session. He glared up at her from the floor. "Happy now wench?" he asked, praying that she hadn't noticed the leg twitch.

"I couldn't help it," Kagome explained. "They were too cute!"

"Leave my ears alone!'

"You liked it and you know it!"

"I did not!"

"You did too!"

"Shut up! My leg started twitching on its own!"

Silence.

"Your leg was twitching?" Peals of laughter came from Kagome.

"SHUT UP!" InuYasha yelled, his face bright red. It only added to Kagome laughter, and soon she joined InuYasha on the floor, dissolving in laughter. "It's not funny wench!"

"Yes it is!" Kagome protested. "I didn't realize you would do that! You really are a Dog-Boy!"

"Shut up! At least I don't have that thing that Fluffy has!"

"Who's Fluffy?"

"My jerk of a brother!"

More silence. Then laughter. Again.

"Why of all the names Fluffy!"

"Because of the fluffy thing!"

"What!"

"Do you think I know what it is? Do you think I'd actually ask him what it is!" InuYasha said. "All I know is it's some big fluffy thing that he has all the time."

"I've never seen it," Kagome said, laughter controlled for the time being.

"He uses some kind of illusion so that no one can see it. Concentrate hard enough, and you might be able to see it," InuYasha explained.

"You two are loud," a new voice interrupted. InuYasha and Kagome started up guiltily as Midoriko observed them from the hallway. "I do believe that's the loudest I've heard you laugh all week." InuYasha narrowed his eyes at her. There was something about her that bothered him.

"Are you a priestess?" he asked. Kagome's hair stood on end. To her surprise, Midoriko nodded.

"Her grandfather seemed to think a demon made its way into one of the storage houses," she lied tactfully. "He called for an exorcism. Perhaps it's best that you leave before he comes home and finds you here. He may think you were the demon." InuYasha understood the subtle command and turned to leave, telling Kagome he'd see her in school on Monday. After he was gone, Midoriko turned to Kagome. "He seems nice."

"Why'd you tell him to leave?" Kagome asked. The command hadn't been lost to her either.

"Because it's time for practice."

"You're joking! I thought you weren't feeling well!"

"I'm feeling better, and besides, I'm not the one who's doing the work."

The weekend passed quickly for Kagome, who found herself subject to intense training from Midoriko once again, and the onslaught of make-up work for school. Waking up on Monday morning almost killed her, and she fell asleep in InuYasha's car on the way to school. Her mood hadn't improved much after that, especially when InuYasha accused her of drooling on the leather, and she only hoped that she wouldn't get homework.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango yelled when she saw her friend. "You look awful!"

"Thank you Sango-chan," Kagome replied half-heartedly. Sango tried again.

"You know what day it is on Friday?" she asked. Kagome looked at her.

"Friday."

"No! It's Halloween!" Sango exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. Kagome had to laugh in spite of herself. Sango rarely ever got this excited, and Kagome suspected it was all a show to put her back in a good mood.

"Too bad I don't have a costume," Kagome said. She had planned to go shopping for one that weekend, but fate hadn't let her out of the house. Sango pointed her finger up and winked.

"Lucky for you, I can help you with that," she said. Kagome raised an eyebrow. "On Saturday, there was a haunted house that Kohaku just had to go to, and while we were there, we both won costume sets." Kagome raised her other eyebrow. Sango sighed. "Each set has four costumes in it that revolve around a central theme. I happened to win the one that had Alice in Wonderland as the theme," she explained.

"I want to be Alice," Kagome said quickly.

"I don't want to be the Queen of Hearts!" Sango said. "Besides, they're my costumes!"

"I think Sango-chan would make a lovely Queen of Hearts," Miroku interrupted.

"Nobody asked you," both girls said in unison. Miroku hung his head in mock defeat.

"I think Kagome should be Alice," InuYasha said, earning confused looks from everyone that heard him. "What?" he snapped. "Alice was a nosy and annoying girl. It suits Kagome perfectly." Kagome glared at him.

"I'll go as Alice, but only if InuYasha's going as The White Rabbit," she said. Sango and Miroku laughed as they imagined that one.

"No way in hell!" he yelled. They ignored him.

"What other costumes do you have?" Kagome asked.

"The Mad Hatter," Sango said. "You think Houshi-kun should…" she broke off at her friend's eager grin.

"Okay! It's been decided!" Kagome said. "I'm Alice, InuYasha's the White Rabbit, Sango-chan's the Queen of Hearts, and Miroku-kun's The Mad Hatter!"

"I never agreed to any of this," InuYasha protested. Once again, he was ignored.

"Hey! Can I be the Cheshire Cat?" Shippo piped up, popping in from out of nowhere. "I can disappear and reappear at will. Look!" He showed his point by making different parts of his body disappear. Kagome laughed.

"Sure you can!" she said, patting him on the head.

"What a minute! The runt's coming too!" InuYasha said. "Stop ignoring me!" he yelled when he saw that they weren't listening again.

"We're not trick-or-treating this year, right?" Kagome asked. Every year, Sango, Kagome, and Kohaku went out on Halloween, but last year they had decided that the two girls would spend their last Halloween in high school at home watching scary movies together. Sango shook her head.

"Father is taking Kohaku so I can do what I want," she said. "I just have to go out and rent scary movies."

"We can go to my house," InuYasha volunteered, and for once, they all listened to him. "I've got my own T.V. and-" Miroku cut him off.

"The only kind of movies he watches are horror movies," Miroku explained. "He has them all."

"Then it's settled!" Shippo said happily. "We'll come to school dressed up and then we'll crash at InuYasha's!"

Kagome's good spirits had been restored. She was so excited about Halloween that she couldn't help but forgive Ayame's stupidity and Shigure's perverseness. She didn't know what was making her so happy. It wasn't the fact that she was hanging out with friends that day, or simply because it was Halloween; it was more like the butterflies had come back and invited all of their relatives including second and third cousins who brought their second and third cousins along for the ride. She had the sneaking suspicion it was because of InuYasha, but she banished it from mind and concentrated on being happy for no good reason.

Her good mood lasted the whole day, and in History, InuYasha felt it was safe enough to poke her. When she turned around to him and grinned, his stomach did a back flip and it took him a few seconds to say, "Concentrate on his right shoulder." Kagome thought for a few seconds and then remembered her conversation with him on Saturday. She quickly stifled a giggle and did as was told. "Don't laugh," InuYasha warned her. Kagome nodded and resumed concentration. She could almost make out something…something that looked furry…it was almost clear…no wait, it was gone…it came back…Kagome ducked her head and choked on laughter. Now that she had broken through the illusion, she couldn't ignore it. InuYasha looked at her worriedly as her face turned red and then to purple. It was just too funny. Whatever it was looked like a gigantic furry boa, and it looked so out of place that Kagome couldn't help but laugh. Kagome tried not to, and she knew that if she held it in any longer, she would explode. She was already shaking from the effort. She needed to breathe. She opened her mouth, caught sight of the boa thing again, tried to swallow the laugh, and started hiccupping. And they were the loudest hiccups she had ever heard come out of her mouth. InuYasha bent double over his desk in quiet laughter as Kagome propped up her textbook in hopes of hiding. Miroku and Sango were just plain confused. Luckily, the bell rang and Kagome ran out of the classroom, stopping only when she reached her locker. There, she fell into a fit of semi-hysterical laughter. Her friends found her on the floor, weeping from mirth.

"Are you okay?" Sango asked her. Kagome nodded and pointed at InuYasha.

"You…you…explain…" she said, gasping for breath. InuYasha quickly relayed the information to Miroku and Sango, who also laughed.

For the rest of the week, Kagome dreaded going to last period.

On Friday, InuYasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kagome arrived to school early in order to change into their costumes. InuYasha growled as he examined it, causing Kagome to break out into giggles.

"Looking good Sango-chan," Kagome teased her friend when she came out wearing her costume. It was red except for the white gloves, white collar, and white feather like things on the shoulders. Sango's light pink eye shadow had been substituted for the day for a darker, almost red shade. A red ribbon tying her hair and a small crown finished the costume.

"I can't breath," Sango replied, gripping her specter so hard Kagome was afraid it was going to break. "You're lucky. You got the most comfortable costume." She gestured to Kagome's simple blue and white dress, complete with white and purple cuffs and hair ribbon. Kagome smiled self-consciously. Miroku came out next.

"Nice, huh?" Kagome teased Sango, who looked at a loss for words. "Come on, you can say it." Sango pulled Kagome's cheeks.

"Say what?" she asked, a vein popping in her hand. Miroku had on the trademark blue hat, suit, and, gloves, with a teacup and saucer for added effect. Even Kagome had to admit he looked handsome.

"InuYasha refuses to come out," he told the to girls, all too used to adoring fan girls to care.

"Tell him that if he doesn't come out on his own, I'll go in there and get him," Kagome told him. Five minutes later. Miroku pulled a very unwilling InuYasha out and Kagome's breath caught in her throat. InuYasha looked stunning, even with the sulky pout and hunched over stance. His dog-ears were still visible, and the rabbit ears that he had been forced to wear flopped over to rest on top of his bangs. His outfit was white and red, and in one hand, he held the famous pocket watch because it was too heavy to let hang. He noticed Kagome staring at him and interpreted it the wrong way.

"What?" he asked, giving her a sideways look. This made Kagome blush harder.

"Nothing," she said, missing the knowing glance from Sango to Miroku. She couldn't look at him the rest of the day without blushing.

After school, InuYasha took the liberty of driving everyone home very fast and ushered them into his room. He locked the door.

"What was that all about?" Kagome asked him, careful not to make eye contact.

"I don't want him to see me dressed like this," InuYasha said, fists clenching. "I cut twelfth for a reason you know."

"Moving along," Miroku said. "I suggest you show these two lovely young ladies and Shippo your wonderful movie library and let them choose a movie." InuYasha rolled his eyes and tossed about twenty movies onto the floor. Kagome and the others looked through them.

"Ringu, Ringu 2, they sucked," InuYasha said. "Ju-On had good graphics but that was it. The Amityville Horror's good, but you'll have to watch it in subtitles. Saw and Saw II, they're really good, but the same thing with the subtitles. Want to watch them?" he asked, missing Kagome face. She nodded slowly and bit her lip. InuYasha frowned at her and then threw one of his covers at her. "Scream into this if you have to," he said gruffly.

An hour and forty minutes later of grisly violence and blood and gore, Kagome had had enough of scary movies for a year. She had lost her voice from screaming too much, and InuYasha was ready to permanently give Kagome the cover. Nevertheless, Kagome agreed to watch the sequel. Sometime during one of the numerous disgusting scenes, Kagome migrated to where InuYasha was sitting with a bored look on his face, and latched on to him, causing him to start up from something other than shock. He couldn't watch the rest of the movies with Kagome clutching his arm like that and burying her face onto his shoulder every time someone died. InuYasha was vaguely wondering if he should just take her home while she could still walk when she fell asleep on him from sheer exhaustion.

"Great," he muttered. "Just great."

………………………………………………………………………………

My Halloween gift to you! It seems that everybody's doing a Halloween chapter now.

Reasons for late update:

Too much work.

No time

Computer broke down.

It just went from 60, 70, 80-degree weather to 40, 50, 60-degree weather, and my house had no heating as of yet. My fingers froze whenever I tried to type.

No, I did not make up the whole Alice in Wonderland thing. There's a picture I found on the Internet that inspired the idea and I'll gladly e-mail a copy to anyone. Just e-mail me saying you want it and I'll send it to you.

I figured that InuYasha would be one of those horror movie junkies. I also figured that if Kagome's not afraid to fight demons in Feudal Japan, but she's afraid of an earthworm, she's allowed to be afraid of scary movies.

I only saw Ringu, and Ju-on from the movie list. My friends told me about Saw and the Amityville Horror, and yes, I realize that people in Japan probably don't have Saw or the Amityville Horror, but I'm taking artistic liberties here…and Saw II hasn't come out yet; it's only in theaters, and I refuse to see it. R&R


	9. Could It Be Love

Chapter 9: Could It Be Love?

Yami396

What is this? Is this an update? Dear me, I think it might! The world is coming to an end! Yami has finally decided to update her poor first fic ever!

Dedicated to Liany, who bothered me constantly, White Blossoms, who has probably given up all hope, and funkadelic-chick, who pushed for an update…five months ago…

Disclaimer – I own nothing except the plot. (Does anyone still remember the plot?)

………………………………………………………………………………...

Neither of them really knew when it happened; it just did. And neither of them could deny it. It showed through in all the little things they would do for each other. The katana she bought for him on Christmas, the roses he bought for her on St. Valentine's Day. The uncomfortable silences they shared when one caught the other staring, or when he stared at her, and she looked at him, only for he to turn away blushing, muttering under his breath. They never actually came out and said they liked each other, but the signs were there, and they accepted each other like it was natural.

Kagome and InuYasha. That was how the rest of their class knew them. No one said just one of their names anymore, it was always the pair of them. Inseparable. Ying and Yang. Even when they fought, and they fought quite a bit, it would always be, "When are InuYasha and Kagome getting back together again?" or "The Dynamic Duo has finally reconciled this morning." Their classmates accepted it, even the ones that had hoped for them to break up in the beginning, and the two became mascots of sorts.

Sango and Miroku, on the other hand, were not yet a pair. True, Sango harbored a well-concealed crush on him, but Miroku was too much a skirt chaser to take advantage of this. Yes, he liked her as well, but old habits die hard, and he was not willing to give up on his style…yet. They were mascots too, but more along the lines of, "That's what happens when you get involved with a player," or "This is why you never hang around dangerous tomboys." But Miroku liked to chase, and Sango would never admit, but she like being chased too, so they worked it out.

It wasn't easy though, for Kagome to continue on the way she was with InuYasha. He had told her a great deal of secrets, including some he had never even allowed himself to think of, including the death of his mother when he was five. Kagome had cried for him all night. But yet, she could not bring herself to tell him the real reason why she spent to much time at home, why she couldn't go to the movies with him, why she was tired all day in school. She made up excuses instead. She said that she was sick, she had been up late studying, her brother constantly annoyed her. But it broke her heart when he showed concern, offered to help her with her homework, and when she had to turn him down, waves of self-hatred washed over her as she watched his face, changing from crest-fallen to the cool mask of arrogance he wore in seconds. She longed to tell him, tell him about her fears of the future, and ask for his help, but her mother and Midoriko both forbade it, and she didn't want him tangled in affairs that weren't his to worry about.

Because he would worry about it, she knew that. He worried about her already, and he was possessive; he and Koga were sworn enemies now, whenever they saw each other, the fought, verbally and physically, and bringing him into her family's secret would only prove to make him even more possessive, he would stay with her throughout all of her training, and she had the sneaking suspicion that he would do his best to annoy Midoriko. It wouldn't solve anything; it would only create more problems.

"Kagome." The stern voice made Kagome jump, and looked over at Midoriko a little guiltily. "That's the third time I've caught you looking off into space this hour. What's so important that it overshadows your training?" Midoriko admonished. When Kagome didn't answer, Midoriko sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, trapping Kagome with a patronizing stare. Kagome was not getting away without answering.

"I'm…sorry?" Kagome said hopefully, trying to arrange her face into what she thought was a good 'puppy-dog' face. Midoriko shook her head, smiling slightly.

"Not happening," she said bluntly. "Now tell me what's bothering you. Usually you whine about how much you hate training, but for the past couple of weeks, you've only stared out into space, sighing almost every minute. What's wrong?" Midoriko waited for an answer, slightly amused when Kagome began to squirm underneath her stare. Midoriko was patient, she could wait until Kagome broke down and told her.

"Well, you see…" Kagome began. Midoriko nodded encouragingly. "At school…err…you see…" Kagome fumbled for words, and Midoriko finally realized what it was that was bothering her pupil.

"Ahh, I see," Midoriko said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "There's a boy you like." Kagome stopped and sputtered.

"H-how?" Midoriko cut her off with a wave of her hand, and actually grinned.

"You forget, I was your age once, even if it was back in Feudal Japan. A mischievous look came into her eyes. "So that's what the sighing was for. You were pining away for your love!" Kagome turned red, blush moving at an inhuman pace up her face.

"It's not like that," she muttered pathetically, breaking off in the middle of her sentence.

"Oh? Then what is it?"

"I…I feel …guilty."

"Does he have a girlfriend?" Kagome shot up.

"NO!" she yelled vehemently. Midoriko held up her hands, laughing.

"I was only asking," she said, as Kagome glared daggers at her. "So, if he doesn't already have a girlfriend, and I'm sure you don't have a boyfriend." Here, Kagome's eyes narrowed into slits. "Then why do you fell guilty?" she finished. Kagome sighed.

"He's told me so much about himself." Kagome's hands fisted in the folds of her skirt, tears welling in the corners of her eyes as she fought to keep the mountain of sadness from crushing her. "But I can't tell him anything about me. And it hurts when I have to turn him down, and he looks so upset…" Loathing squeezed her heart, and for a moment, she couldn't breathe, blinking rapidly to try and quell her tears. But two escaped, rolling down her face, and staining her skirt. Midoriko stood up.

"Well that settles it then," she said, brushing her pants free from imaginary dust. Kagome looked up at her, fully believing the woman had no empathy whatsoever.

"Settles what?" she asked, anger blossoming behind her eyes.

"I know exactly what to do," Midoriko continued, acting as if she had even heard the younger girl speak. "Yes, that's the only way to solve this problem." She spoke more to herself than she did to Kagome.

"What? More training?" Kagome snapped, bitterness creeping through every fiber in her body. "Training solves everything, doesn't it?" she continued sarcastically, standing up, and snatching her bow and arrow.

"Go to the movies with you friends," Midoriko said so suddenly, that Kagome stopped in mid-tirade and gaped at her.

"What?" she asked. Midoriko smiled sadly.

"Go. Go find him and see a movie or something. You're dismissed for the week." Kagome's eyes widened.

"But…"

"You want to train more?" Midoriko asked, eyebrows quirked. When Kagome shook her head, she continued, "Go have some fun Kagome, you deserve it. You've worked so hard, and improved so much." It was the first time Midoriko had ever complimented her on something to her face, and Kagome simply stared at her in shock, before about-facing and running out of the backyard, tossing her bow and arrow carelessly behind her.

"Yes Kagome, live a little more carefree while you still can," Midoriko whispered, the wind taking her words and scattering them. Petals from the cherry-blossom trees swirled around Midoriko's still figure, and she was almost lost in the sea of pink and white petals. Two fingers caught a flower, and Midoriko cradled it, looking at it sadly with forlorn eyes.

_"Ill tides are coming." _ The memory was still fresh in her mind, still made her feel dread like no other could, still haunted her every waking moment. She could still feel the cold fingers of the apparition curl around her wrist; the hands of a dead woman, holding her in a terrifying steely grip, her words making icy tendrils of fear collect in the empty place where Midoriko's heart should have been. _"Ill tides are coming. He comes nearer. He comes with a plan, a plan that you will never foresee, and that you are powerless to stop it."_ Midoriko shivered, despite the warmth of the sun. _"He is too strong for you Midoriko. You have underestimated the enemy again. You will fall, and this time, there will be no jewel to save your soul from its sins."_ She crushed the delicate in her fist, memories from lives past flashing before her eyes, memories that were never to have seen the light of day again.

"Takei." The forbidden name. "Takei," she whispered again, dropping her head. "Why did you betray me?" Tears formed and fell in rivulets down her face. "All you had to do was ask. You did not have to sell your soul to demons…" Midoriko's self-composure broke, and she fell to her knees, sobbing piteously as the cherry blossoms eddied around her.

From the shadows of the trees, a baboon masked grinned in the darkness. He would not harm her yet, he was still far too weak, but it was enough to see her reduced to tears. Soon it would be time for his plan to be set in motion. And he would enjoy breaking every single one of those pathetic humans.

Meanwhile, InuYasha and Kagome were busy laughing with each other over the latest incident between Miroku and Sango.

"I'm not kidding," InuYasha said, supporting Kagome's weight as she clung to his arm. "There is now a Miroku's head-shaped dent in the locker!" Kagome doubled over in laughter.

"I wish I could have been there," Kagome sighed. "Sango-chan always says she doesn't like him at all, but every time he so much as looks at another girl, she goes on the offense." She giggled again.

"Yeah, well, if they keep it up," InuYasha replied. "The whole damn school is going to be demolished." He grinned, fangs flashing, as she laughed again. He loved to hear her laugh. She looked up at him, and they both froze, eyes searching one another for permission to move closer. He puller her up, and her breath caught in her throat as he moved closer. She was drowning, drowning in his eyes that held so much emotion…

"Kagome!" The two jumped apart, InuYasha landing a good ten feet away, cursing, his face a beacon. Shippo grinned up at Kagome. "Did I scare you?" he asked, grinning broadly. He loved teasing them, InuYasha especially.

"Punk kid!" InuYasha yelled, pummeling the shorter boy on his head, leaving a few good-sized bumps in place of his fist.

"Kagome!" Shippo whined, tears spouting, hands holding head. "He's picking on me!"

"InuYasha!" Kagome scolded.

"Feh, he had it coming!"

"I did not!"

"Stop behaving like kids!"

"He started it!"

"Little brat, do you want me to his you some more?"

Shippo opened his mouth to retort, but was cut short by a high pitched voice shouting, "Shippo-chan!" He paled.

"Quick, hide me!" he yelped, ducking behind Kagome. Surprised, she twisted around to look at him.

"Shippo-chan, what are you doing?" she asked the kistune, who had crouched down in an attempt to make himself look smaller than he already was.

"Shh," he whispered. "It's Souten."

"Who?" asked InuYasha and Kagome simultaneously. Shippo peeked around Kagome's legs.

"Oh no, here she comes! Tell her I've died!" He curled up into a ball.

"Have you seen Shippo-chan?" the girl, presumably Souten asked. She was younger than Kagome, maybe a freshman, with large red eyes, and thick black hair pulled back into two pigtails. "Well, have you?"

"Err…no?" Kagome responded, looking over at InuYasha. He just shrugged, clearly as confused as she was.

"Damn," Souten swore. "I could've sworn I saw him run this way."

"Who the hell are you," InuYasha asked her, tired of being in the dark. If there was one thing he hated more than his half-brother, it was being confused. And he sure as hell was now.

"You mean Shippo-chan hasn't told you yet?" she asked, incredulously. When they shook their heads, Souten laughed, and said, "I'm his girlfriend!"

"He never mentioned that," InuYasha muttered. Kagome nodded in agreement, feeling Shippo shudder behind her calves.

"Shippo! There you are!" another girl exclaimed from behind them, nearly knocking Kagome over in her attempt to grab Shippo.

"Satsuki!" he yelled, trying to squirm away from her. "It's, uh, not a good time right now…"

"Who is she?" Souten asked.

"Did it just get really chilly?" Kagome asked InuYasha, concerned. He nodded, faintly amused.

"I'm," Satsuki emphasized the 'I'm.' "His girlfriend." Shippo cringed.

"Says who?" Souten replied, arms crossing.

"Says me," came the snappy reply. The two girls glared daggers at each other, neither noticing Shippo slinking off in a timely escape.

"Shippo-chan's my boyfriend," Souten said forcefully.

"Yeah, right," Satsuki replied, twisting her short hair around her finger.

"You wanna fight?" Souten challenged her.

"No," Satsuki replied, beating a hasty retreat, leaving the three remaining to stare at the spot were she had just stood in amazement.

"Impressive," Kagome said.

"Oh, Shippo-chan's gone," wailed Souten, pouting. "I'll have to go find him again."

"Possessive?" Kagome asked InuYasha as Souten walked off.

"More like obsessive if you ask me," he replied. "Freaky thing, she was." Kagome nodded in approval. "It's late, you should go home and get some rest," he said suddenly. "You might still be sick." Kagome flinched slightly, but she nodded, and he walked her home. He took her as far as her door, and declined an invitation to come inside.

"You sure?" Kagome asked him. "We have ramen."

"I'm fine," InuYasha snapped. Kagome pressed her hand to his forehead. "Wh-what are you doing!"

"You're passing up ramen. You must be sick," Kagome replied, laughing when InuYasha slapped her hand away. "Come on, I know you love ramen." He snorted, and turned away. "Well fine, be like that." She pretended to be hurt, arms crossed, and face arranged into a pout, until he turned around, giving her a quizzical look. She grinned. "See ya!"

"Wait," InuYasha tugged on her arm, and when she turned around, he gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "For earlier, before that damned brat interfered." He left, and Kagome stared at his retreating figure before doing a little victory dance on her porch.

"Oh, good Kagome, you're home!" her mother greeted her as she walked into the living room, spirits soaring. "I have good news! Your cousin is going to stay with us for a while!" Kagome froze, elated sprits crashing to the floor.

"You mean Kikyo's coming here?"

………………………………………………………………………………

And that is the shortest chapter yet! But it was still an update. Review! My birthday is coming up, so those are counted towards presents. And this story turns one year old on April 23. Yeesh, it's been a year, and all I have are nine chapters. That's sad…

Oh! The sakura trees are blossoming here! They're so pretty! You can say that's part of the inspiration for this chapter.


	10. Kikyo and Sinna

Chapter 10: Kikyo and Sinna

Yami-396

Sorry for the wait. I didn't want to deal with Kikyo.

Dedicated to: demonic-fairy14, MartinaM89, White Blossoms, and Real-Men-Wear-Eyeliner, because I think her name rocks.

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing except for Sinna.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Kikyo?" Kagome's voice wavered slightly. Her mother nodded, seemingly unaware of her daughter's apprehension.

"Isn't it wonderful! We haven't seen her in such a long time!" Kagome didn't mention the reason they hadn't seen Kikyo in so long was because she had taken residence in a shrine on a completely different island, and was training to become a miko there, for whatever reason that may be. "You two must have so much to talk about! You're not that far apart in age."

"Three years can be considered a bit of a gap," Kagome said sullenly. "And we've never gotten along, even when we were little."

It was true, the first true memory of Kikyo Kagome had was back when Kagome had been seven, and Kikyo, in her lofty ten-year-old voice, had told her she acted too childish for Kikyo to 'hang around with,' as she had put it. Ever since then, the two girls never spoke to each other much, speaking only when absolutely necessary, or, only if to exchange slight insults. They had lost touch when Kikyo was seventeen, only to learn a year later that she had started training, something her grandfather had been ecstatic about, following Kagome around the house for a week, telling her she should do the same. Finally, her mother put an end to it, saying that one miko in the family was enough.

_"Famous last words,"_ Kagome thought, nervously twisting her fingers together. "Which room will she be staying in," she asked aloud. "We don't have any guest rooms…"

"Actually," her mother began, turning to Kagome, eyes sparkling happily. "She asked to share your room." Kagome sincerely hoped her jaw wasn't frozen in place, and that the pressure wouldn't crack any teeth. "I think it would be good for the both of you," her mother continued, either blissfully unaware of Kagome's stiff demeanor, or steadily ignoring it.

"Are you sure it's wise, Saiya?" Midoriko's voice drifted in from the hallway. Kagome jumped; Midoriko had a nasty habit of sneaking up on people, and talking to them through doorways or from hallways. She looked around cautiously, as if expecting a demon to be listening from a corner. "Does she know about the jewel?"

"I suppose so," Saiya replied, shrugging slightly. "I don't know how much her parents have told her, or if her instructor has ties to our family."

"Can she be trusted?"

"With secrets, no," Kagome interjected somewhat sulkily. Saiya looked sharply at her, but Kagome only crossed her arms, frowning defiantly.

"She's very trustworthy," Saiya contradicted her daughter's opinion. Kagome snorted. The memory of the time when she had a crush on Hojo Akito back in the third grade was still fresh on her mind.

Kikyo and she had been going to the same school at the time, and every girl in the seventh grade had a crush on him. Hojo-kun, as he was called, however, was always a bit dazed, and therefore, never really paid too much attention to the swarms of girls that surrounded him. Kagome acted as if she didn't like him, but deep down, she knew she was in denial, and, one day, in a fit of jealousy, anger, and sadness, blurted out the whole thing to Kikyo. Two days later, the entire population of the secondary school knew. And that was when the teasing started, extending to the point where even now, some of her oldest friends still joked around about it. To Kagome, though, it had been humiliating, and had destroyed any ounce of trust she might have had in Kikyo.

"Kagome's just a little bitter to her, that's all." Saiya was still speaking, evidently trying to explain Kagome's less than appealing behavior.

"It's not that I'm bitter," Kagome snapped defensively. "She was the one who was always being sarcastic, or always had something to say to me." Midoriko sighed.

"Just don't let it get in the way of your training."

"You said I was done for the week!"

"I did? I don't remember."

"You…"

"Tomorrow. In the backyard. Right after school." Midoriko left no room for argument. Kagome grumbled something about evil sensei and bratty cousins, stalking off upstairs to call Sango and wail a little bit, just to relieve some stress. Saiya and Midoriko exchanged secret smiles, and the latter slipped away to gaze out the window, the small smile adorning her face slowly tightening, morphing into a straight firm line, one that clearly showed something was not right.

Midoriko had her reasons for taking back her promise of a week off for her student. The arrival of this cousin, this Kikyo woman, was in sync with the bad tidings the spirits and that apparition had predicted. Before she had come into the house just in time to hear the snippet of conversation between Kagome and Saiya, she had been paying a visit to one such spirit under the Go-Shinboku.

_"She is coming nearer," Daisuke said, cryptic as usual._

_"Who?" Midoriko probed._

_"I cannot tell you, Milady."_

_"Daisuke." Midoriko's tone was flat. Daisuke grinned. Sixty-seven years of being suspended between life and death had no effect on his dry sense of humor. However, as he spoke, he became serious, the mischief leaving his eyes._

_"I would tell you if I knew, you know that," he said. "But there is only so much we can find out. Naraku is acutely aware of our presence, and he is careful to guard his secrets. You remember Manami?" Midoriko nodded. "She got too close to him. She's truly dead now."_

_"He can kill spirits?" Midoriko asked, feeling her strength ebbing away from her legs. Daisuke nodded grimly._

_"That is why we do not dare to venture close to him. We can only watch from the shadows. But beware any strange women that come into contact with the Higurashi family, especially Kagome. And it might be best to keep an eye on that hanyou boy, InuYasha. Before Manami was absorbed, she was able to tell Ryuu about a plan that involved the two."_

_"But what would that do?" Midoriko asked; trying to fit the vague pieces of information she was able to find together to see the master scheme proved near impossible. Something jumped out at her from her thoughts, and, startled, she fixed Daisuke a pointed look. "Wait, you said 'absorbed.' How exactly did Manami die?" Daisuke looked slightly disgusted._

_"He absorbed her. Just like that." He snapped his ghostly fingers._

_"Absorbed?"_

_"He wrapped his tentacles around her, and then, she was gone. He sucked her into himself."_

_"But you shouldn't feel solid at all!"_

_"Tell Naraku that."_

_"Daisuke! This is serious!"_

_"I am being serious," he said, shoulders sagging. "Naraku can do a great many things he should not be able to. If I didn't know any better, I would say it was the influence of the Shikon No Tama." _

_"The Shikon No Tama does not exist," Midoriko hissed sharply._

_"You and both know that Naraku knows about the jewel, as well as do the demons that follow him, so the façade does no good, " Daisuke pointed out, and as much as it pained her to admit it, he was right. Many of the lesser demons that had gone underground centuries before were slowly ascending back to the human world, lured by Naraku and his false pretences that they would be greatly rewarded for their services._

_"Yes, I am well aware of that," Midoriko murmured. "Just as I am well aware of the snake demon who is currently slithering through the bushes!" At her shout, the bushes rustled, and a large snake lunged out at her, its disjointed jaws hanging open, showing abominable fangs dripping deadly venom. It rushed at its prey, confident it could take the down the already dead miko. Midoriko's eyes bored into its own, her own body unmoving, and when it was less than an inch from closing its gapping maw on her, she suddenly sprang into action._

_"Shinasari!" she bellowed, leaping back, and pushing her hands and arms in front of her, directly in the path of the snake demon. Her thumbs and forefingers on both hands met to form a triangle, with the rest of her fingers splayed out, and from the triangle, a blast of blue light spiraled out, colliding with the snake demon, slipping into its demonic aura, engulfing it, purifying it from the inside out. A screech sounded from the demon, suspended momentarily in mid-strike, and then it imploded onto itself, leaving behind only scorched remains of demonic flesh trailing from the air to land on the burnt grass. Midoriko sighed and dropped her hands._

_"Overdue it much?" Daisuke asked, semi-sarcastically, surveying the damage inflicted on the surrounding area._

_"There are others watching. I thought it best to make a statement," Midoriko explained, kicking a rather large piece of flesh away from her, purifying it more as it came into contact with her being._

_"Just be careful. You'll alert Naraku."_

_"Perhaps it's best to lure him out."_

_"And put your student and her family in danger."_

_"…True," Midoriko admitted. "But from what you report, they are already in great danger. Are you sure you know nothing about this woman?"_

_"I have told you all I know, Midoriko. I'll try to find out more, but Naraku has become even more secretive now that his plan is in motion. He has gone underground." Midoriko swore, earning an amused look from Daisuke, who continued, "We'll monitor the local demons' activity, even the ones that have made a name for themselves, and we can have Ryuu watch the girl." Midoriko nodded her approval._

_"One more thing." Daisuke looked back at her expectantly. "Keep safe, Daisuke." He flashed her his cheekiest grin._

_"Whatever my lady wishes, will be my command," he said, sweeping into a low bow. But he too was worried. He just hid it a lot better than Midoriko could._

She tapped the windowpane to some tuneless rhythm, listening to the faint _boopings_ and _whirrings_ of Sota's video game, the slight rustle of Saiya's skirt as she walked to and from the kitchen to the living room, and to the slightly whining voice of Kagome from on top of the stairs. Midoriko rested her head on the cool glass. _"There has to be some way to stop this."_

"I'm telling you, Sango-chan, I have no life anymore!" Kagome sighed into the phone. "Watch, when it comes time to graduate, I'm not even going to realize it!"

"It can't be that bad," Sango said, her voice slightly muffled.

"Are you eating?"

Silence.

"No…"

"Yes, you are."

"Well, you called just as I sat down to watch television, Kagome-chan. I'm allowed to binge on cake every once in a while."

"This coming from the girl who refuses to eat the school lunch because she says it's too unhealthy," Kagome muttered.

"That food is toxic. It'll kill you!" Sango said, balancing the phone on her shoulder, while juggling the remote control, her plate, and her fork. "Did you hear the news tonight?"

"I don't watch television anymore! Remember? I have no life!"

"Oh, come off it," Sango brushed aside Kagome's complaints. "Anyway, they said that some demons from underground have been spotted recently."

The phone crashed with a jangle. Kagome froze, one hand still at her ear, clutching empty air where the receiver had been.

"Kagome-chan? Kagome-chan! What happened?" Sango's worried voice was muted by the plush carpeting.

"S-sorry, Sango-chan," Kagome apologized, scooping up the receiver. "I was just a little startled, that's all."

"You don't think it could be because of the you-know-what," Sango whispered urgently. "I mean…"

"No, it can't be," Kagome said firmly, though she had trouble convincing herself of that. "It's nothing but a few random demons getting big egos." But still, her voice quavered.

"Listen Kagome-chan, I would love to talk, but Kohaku wants to use the phone," Sango said, knowing her best friend needed some alone time. And Sango also wanted to check up on something, something she knew Kagome wouldn't have approved of if she knew.

Once Kagome had hung up, Sango took a deep breath, tried to calm her racing heart, and dialed the number she had memorized, telling herself it was because the number was too east not to know by heart. After several rings, a deep, silvery masculine voice answered.

"Hello, Houshi residence." Sango tried to breathe, but found, that for some strange reason, her throat was stuck.

"Can I speak to Miroku please," she near whispered, completely out of breath. There was a pause and then muffled shouting issued from the phone.

"Miroku! There's a girl on the phone for you! She'd better not be calling because you asked her to bear you children!" Sango blushed. There was another pause, and the voice asked her, "Can I have your name please?"

"It's Sango."

"Sango's calling!" All at once she heard Miroku's voice.

"Well, why didn't you say so!" There was some scuffling, and then Miroku came on, causing Sango's heart to stop before speeding up again. "My dear Sango-chan! Why might you be calling my house at this time of night?"

"Can it, Houshi-kun," she said sharply, fighting down the impulse to giggle like a loon. "I need you to tell me something."

"Tell you I think you're the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on? I believe I told you that just two days ago," he said, his grin visible through the phone.

"Can you ever be serious?" she asked, exasperated to the point where she wanted to hang up.

"But I am Sango-chan! I would be honored if you would bear my children."

"Miroku!" Sango yelled, leaping out of her seat to glare at the phone, daring him to say more. Instead, she heard only laughter. "What's so funny?" she demanded.

"You've finally called me by my name!" Sango's jaw dropped, and heat crept up her face.

"So what if I did," she muttered, cursing herself for the slip.

"If I give you the information you want, will you keep calling me by my given name?" Miroku asked, and Sango could just see that oh-so-innocent smirk playing across his lips, which of course, made her think of his lips, and that made her all flustered again, thus bringing her back to square one.

"It depends on how much information you give, and how good it is," she said. Two could play at that game.

"What would you like to know?"

"What do you know about the Shikon No Tama?" Miroku stared at the phone for a minute.

"Why do you want to know about the Sacred Jewel, Sango?" he asked, all traces of playfulness gone.

"That doesn't matter. Just tell me all you know about it." She had honor, and she wasn't about to betray Kagome's trust.

"Does this have anything to do with Kagome's attitude as of late?" Miroku asked, hitting the nail on the head. Sango sat stunned for a few moments. That pervert was more aware than she gave him credit for. _"Quick, gotta stall him!"_

"Look, Miroku," she said, hoping to appeal to him by using his name. "I can't tell you. It's sort of an honor thing, but if you tell me what I need to know, I promise to tell you everything I know." She cringed. "But you have to swear to keep it a secret. You can't tell anyone."

"It's that important?"

"I guess betraying your best friend's trust doesn't count to you."

"I'm hurt, Sango-chan." The playfulness was back, but was that a good thing? "But." His voice changed again. "You in return must also swear to answer all of my questions." Sango bit her lip. On one hand, she needed Miroku's help, but on the other, she had only known him for a few months, six or seven at best. Yet, she somehow knew that he was not the double-crossing type. _"No,"_ her conscience supplied. _"You're the double-crossing one."_ She chose to ignore that, though the thought alone clawed at her chest. Was this how Kagome felt every time she lied to InuYasha about her situation? Sango took a deep breath, and then plunged in.

"Tell me everything." Miroku took the initiative, sounding as if he was reciting a well-learned lesson, rather than telling Sango secrets that should never have even existed.

"The legend of The Shikon No Tama, or Sacred Jewel as it is sometimes called, originated back in the days of Feudal Japan, where it was rumored to have come into existence when a powerful priestess who supposedly existed several eras before died during battle with an incredibly powerful demon. In a last ditch effort; she expelled both her soul and the demon's soul, the two intertwining in to one crystallized jewel. As the legends have it, the two souls are forever fighting for dominance within the jewel, their success depending on who or what is currently possessing the jewel.

"If it is a demon, the demonic soul will come into dominance, thus tainting the jewel, but if it is possessed by a miko, or another pure soul, the priestess's soul will come into dominance, and the jewel is purified.

"The legends all differ on the fate of the Shikon No Tama. In some, it was destroyed, sometimes by a miko, others, a battle like the one between the priestess and the demon took place, and the sacrifice of the battler's life to kill the demon was enough to sate the jewel. In the rest, however, the jewel stills exists today, carefully hidden and protected from demons by mikos and priests.

"While these legends differ from one another during some point in the narrative, one fact remains the same throughout all of them; a fact that believers never hesitate to point out when challenged. All of the legends agree on the priestess's name.

"Midoriko."

Silence.

"Are you okay, Sango?"

"Just a little…" Sango trailed off. What was she supposed to say? She was just a little shaken? There were no words to describe how she felt, now, or at the moment she heard the priestess's name, the one that was to have died long before The Warring States Era began. And yet, maybe about an hour ago, Kagome had called, looking for sympathy from a friend, complaining bitterly about her 'evil sensei,' Midoriko.

Coincidence? Sango knew better than that. Kagome's involvement with the Sacred Jewel, and the vague details Kagome had given her about finding a tutor, fit too closely together to be mere coincidences. No, whatever Kagome had gotten herself into went deeper than she knew, or anyone else knew, for that matter.

"Sango-chan, have you died on me?" She jumped at the voice rising from the phone she held in her hands, knuckles white from clutching at it.

"No, no, I'm here," she assured him, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice. She was strong, damn it! She was not going to cry!

"Well then, I've told you everything I know, now it's time for you to answer my questions," he said, grinning.

"Fine. What do you want to know?"

"First off, Sango-chan, you must be completely honest with me, okay?"

"Yes, Miroku, totally honest, no holding anything back." Her voice was tired.

"You promise."

"Yes!" Wait, now it was slightly aggravated.

"…Sango-chan, what exactly is your bra size?"

There was shocked silence. Then, a sharp curse that even InuYasha would have been proud of, a bang, and then the dial tone played lazily in Miroku's ear. Still grinning like the Cheshire Cat, he replaced the receiver back on its hook. He would ask Sango why she needed to know about the Shikon No Tama when they went to school. He had heard the quavering in her voice when she first spoke after he told her the legend, and rather than have her break down on him, he made her angry enough to forget what was troubling her, at least, for the moment. Besides, he was never that good with crying girls. Sure, he could comfort the latest victim of InuYasha callousness sometimes, but then he would usually throw her his famous pick-up line and, basically, that wouldn't work with Sango.

Of course, that was the plan, and because the montage group of friends seemed to be living Murphy's Law at the present, the plan had to be revised.

The first revision came the next day at school during homeroom. Mayuko surprised them all with the announcement of a new student, something very rare to happen that late in the school year.

"So, who do you think it is?" Kagome asked, ignoring the general hubbub of the classroom. InuYasha snorted.

"Hope it's a guy. There's too many girls hanging around here," he said, placing both arms behind his head and reclining back in his seat. Sango rolled her eyes.

"If you be quiet a minute, you'll find out," she said, pointing to the front of the class where a young woman stood shyly, fidgeting slightly with the hem of her skirt, and scuffing the floor with the toe of her shoe. InuYasha groaned and put his head on the desk, telling Kagome to wake him up when first period ended.

"Umm…Hello," the woman spoke tentatively, as if seeking assurance she was welcome from the blank class. Upon receiving no indication of any emotion, she rushed on. "My name is Koyokashi Sinna, and I've just moved here from Sendai, and I hope I'm no trouble to you at all…soI'mjustgoingtogositoverhere," she mumbled, fleeing to nearest open seat, face flaming. Kagome, ever the sympathetic, reached over and patted her on the back, earning a very small smile from Sinna, which Kagome returned warmly.

During the few classes Sinna and Kagome shared, Kagome noticed that although she seemed friendly enough, Sinna kept to herself mostly, eating at an empty table at lunch, and sitting by herself in classes. She talked to the few students that ventured near her, and even giggled with them over a small joke, but, for the most part, she remained aloof. A few times, she caught Kagome's eye, and though Kagome blushed out of embarrassment, Sinna always smiled, and one time, when Kagome was so embarrassed, she nearly fell out of her chair, she outright laughed, bending over her desk in an attempt to stop herself.

"She seems nice," Sango said to Kagome later on in twelfth period. Kagome nodded.

"Maybe we should say something to her. But not you!" she said sharply to Miroku, who had perked up at the mention of 'say something' and 'her.' "We all know what you'll say."

"If that's the behavior expected of me, then I must not disappoint," he said, getting out of his chair and moving towards the window, smirking the whole way. Kagome raised her eyebrows at Sango, who in turn, shrugged, and joined the rest of class in watching Miroku's latest stunt. "Sinna-chan!" he called out; she had gym that period. "Will you bear my children?"

"That's enough from you," Sango hissed, moving with blinding speed to the window, where she decidedly put a stop to Miroku's antics simply by pinning his head to the windowsill with the window itself, using it as one would a guillotine. "Are you done?" Miroku looked as he was about to die, his face blue, and arms flailing about in every direction. Hysterics from the rest of the class ensued, only halting when Sesshoumaru appeared at the door. He didn't seem the least perturbed by Miroku's condition, pausing long enough only to smirk and inform him that he had detention.

"That was mean, Sango-chan," Kagome admonished her friend when the bell rang. Sango shrugged.

"The hentai had it coming," was all she said. InuYasha too shared the same opinion.

"Better him than me," he said. "You want a ride?"

"Sure!"

"The invitation wasn't open to you, Sango."

"Wait a minute, you guys," Kagome said, moving away from the two towards Sinna's figure waiting by the curb, sliding in and out of view as groups of friends and students passed by. "Hey!" she said brightly, and Sinna jumped. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, I just didn't see you there," Sinna dismissed the apology, waving her hand. "You're Higurashi-san, right?"

"Please, call me Kagome."

"Only if you call me Sinna." The two grinned, bonds of friendship already forming. "That was your friend in the window?" Kagome cringed.

"Sorry about him," she said. "He's always like that. If he offended you…"

"No, I don't mind. In truth, I'm glad for the attention," she said, nervously pulling her collar length hair. "I'm shy, so I don't normally talk to people, and sometimes they get the wrong idea and think I'm stuck-up, so it's okay. Was that girl his girlfriend? If it was, tell her I'm really sorry, and if she's angry with me I'll…" Kagome held up her hand, silencing the agitated girl.

"You can say Sango-chan's Miroku's girlfriend." Kagome stopped at the horrified look on Sinna's face, trying not to show she was joking. "But, neither one of them will admit it, and Sango-chan knows how Miroku is, so it's him that she's mad at, not you." Relief was visible in every feature of Sinna's face, and she exhaled the breath she had been holding.

"Good. If I had insulted her or something, I don't know what I'd do!"

"Sango-chan's nice like that. Trust me, you'll know if she's real mad at you. You can't miss it." They both grinned again, but before either one could anything more, a car pulled up beside them and honked.

"Oops, there's my ride. I'll see you tomorrow, Kagome," Sinna said, opening the back door of the car. "Bye!" Kagome waved her goodbye as well, and rejoined Sango and InuYasha.

"Yeah, that was a minute," InuYasha told her, sarcasm exuding from his being. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"I was only being nice," she said. "Now you can be nice and give us a ride!" He shrugged, too tired to argue much, and drove off, just as Miroku exited the school building.

"This cannot get any worse!" he muttered, trying to judge the correct direction to walk in by the sun. "The sun sets in the east, right…"

#-----#

"Oi, wench." Kagome looked up, irritated by the nickname. "Why is there a car parked in front of your house." Kagome looked out the window and moaned.

"Damn it!" she snapped in one of the rare instances where she cursed.

"What's wrong?" Sango asked, knowing full well that Kagome only cursed when things got really, really bad. Kagome banged her head lightly on the headrest.

"My cousin is here."

"Your cousin?" That came from InuYasha.

"I never told you about my cousin?."

"You mean the evil one?" That was Sango.

"Yep."

"You don't like him?"

"I don't like her," Kagome corrected InuYasha, opening one eye. "We have a history. I'll tell you about it later. Right now, I've got to go bite the bullet." With that, she climbed out of the car, and shuffled her way up the stairs to the shrine, dragging her feet the whole way up, just to extend the time between then and meeting her cousin again. Unfortunately, she could only stall for so long, and all too soon, she found herself staring at the door. Before she could open it, it was yanked inwards, and Kagome found herself facing the eerily similar to her own face of her cousin.

"Kagome." Short. Simple. Direct. "How nice of you to join us." Icy. Biting. Degrading.

"Kikyo." Kagome gritted her teeth. "How nicer it would be for you to leave." Childish. Kikyo smirked.

"I'm not sure Aunt Saiya would approve of you speaking to me in that manner," she said, turning around. "You may come in." Kagome pulled a face behind her back.

"You're inviting me in to my own home?" Kagome asked sarcastically, trying to master InuYasha's tone of voice.

"I may as well, since you seem to have no desire to come home."

"I was busy!"

"With that InuYasha boy?" Kagome stumbled in shock.

"H-how!" Kikyo waved a hand, wafting it lazily in the air.

"Aunt Saiya and Midoriko told me about your relationship with him." Kagome sighed.

"It's nothing for you to be concerned about," she said, desperately trying to avoid squeaking her voice. It wasn't like she wanted it to, but she was embarrassed, and her voice always jumped a few octaves because of it. _"Gotta keep it together, Kagome!"_ she chanted to herself.

"Au contraire." Kikyo turned toward Kagome this time; her icy brown eyes boring into Kagome warm one. "Consorting with a demon. You shame your family and your abilities." Kagome froze, anger forming as her fists balled up on their own volition.

Later that night, a cell phone rang; it's tuneless beeping echoing off dark slimy walls. A dark shape answered it.

"Have you done it?"

"Not yet."

"What are you waiting for?" the voice, masculine, snapped. "We don't have much time."

"Relax," the other voice answered, this one a smooth feminine one, calm and detached. Professional. "Soon the two will be separated. I just need a little more time."

"Time is of the essence," the masculine voice said, promptly hanging up. "Now to the matter at hand," he said, more to himself than to the other presence in the room. "Would you care to stay awhile, so I can show you what happens to eavesdroppers? No? But I insist." He cackled manically.

Daisuke glared up at him, ghostly arms and legs bound by shackles brimming with dark power, mouth clamped shut by metal.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

I made this chapter a little longer than regular length to make up for the short chapter before hand. And it only took a month!

I meant to update sooner, but I kind of lost myself to a circle of depression, simply because I lost yet another writing contest, and I lost confidence in my writing. Then I read the winning story, and seeing that it was clichéd, (This is probably just jealousy talking. Don't take my word for it.) decided, "Screw this! I'm finishing that damn chapter!" So, now I'm better, and here's your chapter. I hope you like it. R&R!

Shinasari – Loosely translates to purify. I couldn't translate the first two kanji.


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